Abstract: A method of influencing variations in composition of thin films is described. The elemental plasma field distribution in sputtering systems is manipulated by generating a nonuniform electric field along a surface of the substrate to alter the composition by differentially re-sputtering the target elements. The nonuniform electric field is used to modulate the kinetic energy of the ions generated in the plasma which strike the thin film's surface. By applying varying electric potentials at a plurality of points on a conductive surface of a substrate, the electric field across the surface of the substrate can be modulated in a variety of patterns. In the preferred embodiment a radial voltage gradient is applied to a conductive surface of a disk on which a magnetic thin film is being formed to radially modulate the platinum content of the magnetic film.

Abstract: This invention provides a disk which has an in-plane oriented magnetic recording layer on a glass, ceramic, or other nonmetal substrate and a method for making the disc. A thin layer of texturable NiP is sputtered on the substrate. This NiP layer is textured before the magnetic layer is deposited. The disk combines all the advantages of a glass or ceramic substrate along with the advantages of an oriented magnetic medium.

Abstract: A method of influencing variations in composition of thin films is described. The elemental plasma field distribution in sputtering systems is manipulated by generating a nonuniform electric field along a surface of the substrate to alter the composition by differentially re-sputtering the target elements. The nonuniform electric field is applied by one or more electrodes in contact with a conductive surface or by using an RF bias signal. The nonuniform electric field is used to modulate the kinetic energy of the ions generated in the plasma which strike the thin film's surface. Since the kinetic energy and the mass of the sputtering gas ions and neutrals affect the re-sputtering rate, the nonuniform electric field differentially affects the elements being deposited according to mass. By applying varying electric potentials at a plurality of points on a conductive surface of a substrate, the electric field across the surface of the substrate can be modulated in a variety of patterns.

Abstract: A method of influencing variations in composition of thin films is described. The elemental plasma field distribution in sputtering systems is manipulated by generating a nonuniform electric field along a surface of the substrate to alter the composition by differentially re-sputtering the target elements. The nonuniform electric field is applied by one or more electrodes in contact with a conductive surface or by using an RF bias signal. The nonuniform electric field is used to modulate the kinetic energy of the ions generated in the plasma which strike the thin film's surface. Since the kinetic energy and the mass of the sputtering gas ions and neutrals affect the re-sputtering rate, the nonuniform electric field differentially affects the elements being deposited according to mass. By applying varying electric potentials at a plurality of points on a conductive surface of a substrate, the electric field across the surface of the substrate can be modulated in a variety of patterns.

Abstract: A lubricating perfluoropolyether (PFPE) composition for lubricating one or more disks in a disk drive system may be formed by providing a first component of PFPE molecules having an aggregate vapor pressure in the range of 1×10−6 to 1×10−11 atm and a second component of PFPE molecules comprising at least 5% of the total number of molecules of the first component, wherein the second component includes an aggregate vapor pressure lower than that of the first component. The first and second components are mixed together to form a homogeneous composition, which may be in the liquid form. The composition may be introduced into a reservoir in a vapor phase lubricant reservoir system in a disk drive enclosure.

Abstract: This invention provides a disk which has an in-plane oriented magnetic recording layer on a glass, ceramic, or other nonmetallic substrate and a method for making the disk. A thin layer of material is deposited on the substrate to form a texture stop layer. A texturable layer is then deposited on the texture stop layer. This texturable layer is textured before the magnetic layer is deposited. The disk combines all the advantages of a glass or ceramic substrate along with the advantages of an oriented magnetic medium.

Abstract: A method of influencing variations in composition of thin films is described. The elemental plasma field distribution in sputtering systems is manipulated by generating a nonuniform electric field along a surface of the substrate to alter the composition by differentially re-sputtering the target elements. The nonuniform electric field is applied by one or more electrodes in contact with a conductive surface or by using an RF bias signal. The nonuniform electric field is used to modulate the kinetic energy of the ions generated in the plasma which strike the thin film's surface. Since the kinetic energy and the mass of the sputtering gas ions and neutrals affect the re-sputtering rate, the nonuniform electric field differentially affects the elements being deposited according to mass. By applying varying electric potentials at a plurality of points on a conductive surface of a substrate, the electric field across the surface of the substrate can be modulated in a variety of patterns.

Abstract: This invention provides a disk which has an in-plane oriented magnetic recording layer on a glass, ceramic, or other nonmetallic substrate and a method for making the disk. A thin layer of material is deposited on the substrate to form a texture stop layer. A texturable layer is then deposited on the texture stop layer. This texturable layer is textured before the magnetic layer is deposited. The disk combines all the advantages of a glass or ceramic substrate along with the advantages of an oriented magnetic medium.

Abstract: This invention provides a disk which has an in-plane oriented magnetic recording layer on a glass, ceramic, or other nonmetallic substrate and a method for making the disk. A thin layer of texturable NiP is sputtered on the substrate. This NiP layer is textured before the magnetic layer is deposited. The disk combines all the advantages of a glass or ceramic substrate along with the advantages of an oriented magnetic medium.

Abstract: A lubricating perfluoropolyether (PFPE) composition for lubricating one or more disks in a disk drive system may be formed by providing a first component of PFPE molecules having an aggregate vapor pressure in the range of 1×10−6 to 1×10−11 atm and a second component of PFPE molecules comprising at least 5% of the total number of molecules of the first component, wherein the second component includes an aggregate vapor pressure lower than that of the first component. The first and second components are mixed together to form a homogeneous composition, which may be in the liquid form. The composition may be introduced into a reservoir in a vapor phase lubricant reservoir system in a disk drive enclosure.

Abstract: A improved thin film recording medium with an underlayer with deliberately induced strain, crystalline defects and dislocations (collectively “faults”) in the grain structure is described. The relatively high number of induced faults results in surprising improvements in recording characteristics such as soft error rate, resolution and SNR of the thin film disk. While the film is being deposited, the sputtering conditions are controlled to grow grains of the underlayer material which tend to be highly faulted by incorporation of atoms of a second material with significantly different atomic characteristics than the underlayer material. Preferably the atoms of the sputtering gas species are incorporated in the film to cause the lattice faults. For example, the faults can be achieved by incorporating sputtering gas atoms, e.g. argon atoms, into a chromium based underlayer.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic disk (and a disk drive using the magnetic disk) with improved recording performance having a thin seed layer consisting of tantalum (Ta), a suitable underlayer and a CoPtCrB magnetic layer is described. The underlayer is preferably a Cr alloy with a grain size which is smaller than that of pure Cr. CrTi is suitable as an underlayer. An appropriate overcoat such as hydrogenated carbon can be applied.

Abstract: A thin film disk and a disk drive using the thin film disk are described. The disk has a thin film magnetic layer composed of small acicular grains having an average aspect ratio greater than one which results in improved recording performance. The development of the acicularity is aided through the crystal structure having anisotropic inplane stress with a radial stress being less than a tangential stress. The preferred magnetic material is an alloy cobalt which includes a glass forming material such as boron, boron oxide, silicon, silicon oxide, carbon, phosphorus, etc. The typical hcp unit cells form acicular grains with a tendency for the C-axis to be orthogonal to a long axis of the acicular grains. Preferably the C-axis of the grains is oriented along the circumferential direction of the disk. Preferably the underlayer is sputtered deposited using negative bias.

Abstract: The method allows the formation of a self-aligned guardring surrounding a Schottky barrier device. The resulting guardring is as close to the Schottky barrier device as is possible. This reduces the area of the chip used by other guardring forming techniques of the prior art. The method involves first opening a hole in an insulator to expose the silicon surface. The Schottky barrier forming metal is then deposited over the insulator and the silicon surface. Heat treatment of the appropriate temperature and time is utilized to form the metal silicide Schottky barrier device. During this device formation, there is a volume shrinkage in the metal silicide which forms a narrow annulus of exposed silicon around the metal silicide contact. The unreacted metal is removed. Ion implantation of ion of opposite polarity to the exposed silicon is imparted to the structure to form a guardring surrounding the Schottky barrier device.