Abstract: A phosphor having a variable wavelength and a light irradiation device having said phosphor. This phosphor contains an activating agent, and has a concentration gradient of the activating agent along at least one direction.

Abstract: A dry etching method and the like that can process a layer to be processed in a fine pattern to have a peripheral portion of an angular shape, are described. This dry etching method forms a step portion 21 along a peripheral portion of a first mask layer 20 that corresponds to an outline of an etching pattern in such a manner that the step portion 21 projects toward an opposite side to a magnetic thin layer 18 (layer to be processed).

Abstract: A drawing method and a drawing apparatus use a drawing beam to draw a pattern, which will be used when forming a concave/convex pattern, on a resin layer formed on a substrate. When doing so, to prevent insufficient exposure to the drawing beam in certain parts of the pattern that tend to be insufficiently exposed, the number of irradiation of the drawing beam is changed. By doing so, the production of defects in the concave/convex pattern is avoided and the pattern can be made finer.

Abstract: A rotary-type magnetic recording medium has servo patterns formed in servo pattern regions on a substrate by patterns including recording regions and non-recording regions. Burst signal units composed of the recording regions or the non-recording regions are formed in burst pattern regions in the servo pattern regions. The burst signal units are formed so that for at least one edge out of both edges along a direction of rotation of the magnetic recording medium, a center in the direction of rotation is positioned closer to the other edge than both ends in the direction of rotation, and a ratio of a length along a radial direction of the magnetic recording medium between both ends and the center of the one edge to a length along the radial direction between both ends of the one edge and both ends of the other edge is in a range of 0.2 or below.

Abstract: On a magnetic recording medium, data track patterns and servo patterns are formed on one surface and another surface of a disk-shaped substrate by patterns including recording regions and non-recording regions.

Abstract: In an information recording medium where respective concave parts of a magnetic layer, which is formed on at least one side e of a substrate and in which a predetermined convex/concave pattern has been formed, are filled with non-magnetic material and non-magnetic layers are formed by the non-magnetic material in at least partial regions of respective upper surfaces of respective convex parts of the magnetic layer, the non-magnetic layers are formed so that parts thereof protrude further in a direction in which the convex parts protrude than other parts of the non-magnetic layers.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided which has good recording/reproducing characteristics with a recording layer divided in a number of recording elements by a predetermined concavo-convex pattern, and a manufacturing method that enables efficient manufacture of such a magnetic recording medium. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a soft magnetic layer formed over the substrate, a recording layer formed over the soft magnetic layer such as to have magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to surface, and being divided in a number of recording elements by a predetermined concavo-convex pattern, and a non-magnetic intermediate layer formed between the recording layer and the soft magnetic layer. The recording elements are formed to have a predetermined track shape in a data region.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided that includes a recording layer having recording elements formed as convex portions and a filling material filled within the concave portions between the recording elements. The medium is highly reliable and has a surface less liable to damages when a magnetic head contacts the surface, so that good recording/reproducing characteristics are ensured. The magnetic recording medium includes a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over a substrate and having recording elements formed as convex portions in the concavo-convex pattern and a filling material filled within the concave portions between the recording elements. The filling material is substantially composed of Si and O, and the ratio of the number of O atoms to the number of Si atoms is equal to or more than 1.5 and less than 2.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided in which a magnetic recording layer 5 is provided in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern on a substrate 1A, a concave portion in a concavo-convex pattern is filled with a non-magnetic material, and a non-magnetic layer 16 formed of the non-magnetic material positioned at the bottom surface of the concave portion in the non-magnetic materials is formed on a convex portion of the concavo-convex pattern while surface of the convex portion and the concave portion is substantially flattened, and a thickness of the non-magnetic layer 16 is 1 nm or less.

Abstract: A mask forming method forms an A mask forming functional layer with an amorphous structure so as to cover an etched body, forms a B mask forming functional layer so as to cover the formed A mask forming functional layer, forms a convex/concave pattern in the formed B mask forming functional layer by carrying out a predetermined process to form a B mask on the A mask forming functional layer, and forms an A mask on the etched body by forming a convex/concave pattern in the A mask forming functional layer by dry etching the A mask forming functional layer using the B mask. By doing so, a convex/concave pattern with extremely small pattern fluctuations can be formed in the A mask forming functional layer.

Abstract: The recording layer (to-be-etched layer), a main mask layer, and a sub mask layer are formed in this order over a substrate, and the sub mask layer is processed into a predetermined concavo-convex pattern. Next, parts of the main mask layer under the concave portions are removed by reactive ion etching using oxygen or ozone as the reactive gas. Parts of the recording layer under the concave portions are also removed by dry etching, whereby the recording layer is shaped into the concavo-convex pattern. The main mask layer is chiefly made of carbon. The sub mask layer is made of a material having an etching rate lower than that of carbon with respect to the reactive ion etching in the step of processing the main mask layer.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium having high reliability is provided, in which concave portions between recording elements formed as convex portions of a concavo-convex pattern are approximately completely filled with a non-magnetic material. The magnetic recording medium is a plate-like body including: a substrate; a recording layer that is formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate and includes recording elements for recording information formed as convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern; and the non-magnetic material filling concave portions between the recording elements. Side faces of the recording elements are inclined to face a surface of the plate-like body on a side toward which the recording elements 16 project in the concavo-convex pattern. An inclination angle of the side faces of the recording elements with respect to a direction perpendicular to that surface is smaller than 90° and 5° or more.

Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing device includes: a magnetic recording medium in which a magnetic recording layer is formed in a concavo-convex pattern so that tracks are formed by convex portions of a predetermined track width and arranged in parallel in the track width direction; a heating head for heating the magnetic recording medium to partially reduce coercivity of the tracks; a recording head for applying a recording magnetic field to a heated portion of the magnetic recording medium to record magnetic data on the tracks; and a reproducing head for detecting a reproducing magnetic field of the tracks. In this configuration, an effective recording area has an effective recording width that is equal to or more than the track width, and equal to or less than a sum of the track width and a doubled value of width of concave portions between the tracks.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a magnetic recording medium, and the like are provided, which can suppress misalignment of a processed shape of divided recording elements and magnetic degradation and can efficiently manufacture a magnetic recording medium having good magnetic characteristics. In the manufacturing method, ion beam etching is used as a dry etching technique for a continuous recording layer 20. Before dry etching of the continuous recording layer 20, a resist layer 26 is removed. As the material for a first mask layer covering the continuous recording layer, diamond like carbon is used.

Abstract: There are provided a next process-determining method capable of determining a next process to be carried out next objectively and at the same time in a short time period, as well as an inspecting method and apparatus which are capable of carrying out a predetermined inspection as to an object to be inspected according to the next process-determining method. A sample object is digitized to sample data formed by digital data. The sample data is compressed into compressed sample data according to a predetermined data format. There is calculated a difference data amount between a data amount of the compressed sample data and a data amount of reference data formed by digitizing and compressing a reference sample object in the same manner as the sample object is processed. Which of a plurality of predetermined numerical ranges the difference data amount belongs to is identified.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes at least a disk substrate, a magnetic recording layer formed with a predetermined concavo-convex pattern on the disk substrate, and a non-magnetic layer formed in concave portions of the concavo-convex pattern. Convex shapes made of a non-magnetic material are formed on the magnetic recording layer or the non-magnetic layer. Each convex shape is formed, for example, into a mountain-like shape whose upper surface width is made smaller than a width of each convex portion of the magnetic recording layer or a width of each concave portion where the non-magnetic layer 6 is formed.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an information recording medium, a method of transferring a concavo-convex pattern, and a transfer apparatus are provided which are capable of curing a resin material with reliability even when using a light-transmitting stamper repeatedly. A stamper made of a light-transmitting resin, having a predetermined concavo-convex pattern formed on its transfer area, is inspected for an optical characteristic. The stamper is brought into contact with an energy-ray curable resin material applied to an object to be processed, thereby transferring the concavo-convex pattern to the resin material, and the resin material is irradiated with an energy ray through the stamper so that the resin material cures. The stamper is used a plurality of times to repeat these steps a plurality of times, thereby manufacturing a plurality of information recording media.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium including at least a disk substrate 1A, a magnetic recording layer 5 formed with a predetermined concavo-convex pattern on the disk substrate 1A, and a non-magnetic layer 6 filled into concave portions of the concavo-convex pattern, so as to have data track regions 20 and servo pattern regions 21. Due to the existence of concaves and convexes in the surface of each data track region 20, the foregoing problem is solved. On this occasion, arithmetical mean deviation of the assessed profile Ra of the surface of each data track region 20 is preferably not lower than 0.3 nm. The difference in surface level between each concave and each convex existing in the surface of the data track region 20 is preferably not larger than 6 nm.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium capable of preventing contact with a magnetic head for use in recording or reproduction, during recording or reproducing of record data. The magnetic recording medium has a disk-shaped substrate having a surface formed with an annular data-recording area, an outer area outward of the data-recording area, and an inner area inward of the same. The annular data-recording area has a plurality of tracks separated from each other by concentric separating grooves. At least one of the outer area and the inner is subjected to lift-adjusting treatment for enabling adjustment of lifts applied to the magnetic head. This makes it possible to effectively prevent the magnetic head from being inclined to be brought into contact with the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided, which has a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern and makes it possible to obtain the stable flying characteristics of a head. In the magnetic recording medium, concave portions between recording elements are filled with a non-magnetic material. Thus, the surface of the magnetic recording medium takes a concavo-convex shape which is different from the concavo-convex pattern of the recording layer. Also, the arithmetical mean deviation of the assessed profile of the concavo-convex shape in the surface is restricted to 1 nm or less.