Abstract: Disclosed is a ceramic sintered body comprising magnesium aluminate spinel of composition MgAl2O4 having from 90 to 100% by volume of a cubic crystallographic structure and a density of from 3.47 to 3.58 g/cc, wherein the ceramic sintered body is free of sintering aids. A method of making the ceramic sintered body comprising spinel is also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cordierite sintered body comprising from 90 to 98% by volume of a cordierite crystal phase as measured using x ray diffraction, SEM and image processing methods wherein the cordierite sintered body has at least one surface comprising pores having a diameter of from 0.1 to 5 um as measured using SEM and image processing methods. The cordierite sintered body has a Young's modulus of about 125 GPa or greater, and volumetric porosity of less than about 4%. Methods of making the cordierite sintered body are also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a sintered ceramic body comprising from 90% to 99.9% by volume of polycrystalline yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) as measured using XRD and image processing methods and a volumetric porosity of from 0.1 to 4% as calculated from density measurements performed in accordance with ASTM B962-17. The sintered ceramic body may have a total purity of 99.99% and greater and a grain size of from 0.3 to 8 ?m. A method of making the sintered ceramic body is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, including the step of reactively or non-reactively sputtering at least a first data storing thin film layer over a substrate from a sputter target. The sputter target is comprised of cobalt (Co), platinum (Pt), a first metal oxide further comprised of a first metal and oxygen (O) and, when non-reactively sputtering, a second metal oxide. The first data storing thin film layer is comprised of cobalt (Co), platinum (Pt), and a stoichiometric third metal oxide comprising the first metal and oxygen (O). During sputtering, any non-stoichiometry of the third metal oxide in the first data storing thin film layer is compensated for using oxygen (O) from the second metal oxide in the sputter target, or using oxygen (O) from the oxygen-rich gas atmosphere.

Abstract: A sputter target is provided with a first elemental phase of a first material, the first material being either cobalt or tungsten, a first intermetallic phase including the first material and a second material, the second material being either tungsten or cobalt and different from the first material, the first material in a greater atomic percentage than the second material, and a second intermetallic phase including the second material and the first material, the second material in a greater atomic percentage than the first material. The sputter target includes 20-80 at. % cobalt, and has a density greater than 99% of a theoretical maximum density thereof. The sputter target is fabricated by selecting a cobalt powder and a tungsten powder having the same particle size distribution, blending the cobalt powder and the tungsten powder to form a blended powder, canning the blended powder, hot pressing the blended powder to form a solid, and machining the solid to form a sputter target.

Abstract: A Re-based alloy material comprises >50 at. % Re and at least one alloying material selected from grain size refinement elements X which have an atomic radius larger or smaller than that of Re and a solid solubility <˜6 at. % in hcp Re at room or higher temperatures, and lattice matching elements Y which have an atomic radius larger or smaller than that of Re and form a solid solution in hcp Re at room or higher temperatures. The alloy material may further comprise at least one material selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, and carbides. Targets comprising the Re-based alloy material are useful in sputter deposition of improved interlayers for obtaining optimally structured granular perpendicular magnetic recording layers.

Abstract: The various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the deposition of a seedlayer for a magnetic recording medium used for perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) applications, where the seedlayer provides for grain size refinement and reduced lattice mis-fit for a subsequently deposited underlayer or granular magnetic layer, and where the seedlayer is deposited using a nickel (Ni) alloy based sputter target. The nickel (Ni) alloy can be binary (Ni—X; Ni—Y) or ternary (Ni—X—Y). In addition, the binary (Ni—X; Ni—Y) or ternary (Ni—X—Y) nickel (Ni) based alloys can be further alloyed with metal oxides, thus forming seedlayer thin films with a granular microstructure containing metallic grains, surrounded by an oxygen rich grain boundary. The nickel-based alloys (with or without metal oxides) of the various exemplary embodiments can be made by powder metallurgical technique or by melt-casting techniques, with or without thermo-mechanical working.

Abstract: A magnetic data storage layer includes a high-Ku alloy and an oxide compound of oxygen and either a single element or an alloy. Because of their high Ku, the magnetic domains of this magnetic data storage layer can be made significantly smaller, while maintaining an acceptable thermal stability ratio of about 50 to 70, to provide areal densities of greater than 200 Gb/in2. Sputter targets for sputtering such a magnetic data storage layer are also provided. The sputter targets include the high-Ku alloy and either the desired oxide compounds, or the elements to be oxidized in a reactive sputtering process. The high-Ku alloy has an anisotropy constant of at least 0.5×107 ergs/cm3.

Abstract: The effects of sputter re-deposition are reduced by macroscopically roughening the non-sputter areas of the sputter target. The macroscopic roughening is obtained by forming a macroscopic trough pattern in the non-sputter areas of the sputter target. A variety of patterns may be used for the trough pattern. In addition to macroscopically roughing the non-sputter areas of the sputter target, microscopic roughening of the trough patterns may be performed using conventional shot, bead or grit blasting techniques.