Abstract: Provided are a bismuth-based piezoelectric material whose insulation property is improved while its performance as a piezoelectric body is not impaired and a piezoelectric device using the piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material includes a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1): Bix(Fe1-yCoy)O3??(1) where 0.95?x?1.25 and 0?y?0.30, and a root mean square roughness Rq (nm) of a surface of the piezoelectric material satisfies a relationship of 0<Rq?25y+2 (0?y?0.30).

Abstract: The present invention is related to a target, which is a magnesium monoxide-based (MgO-based) composite having cubic crystal structure of MgO, wherein the MgO-based composite includes MgO and one or more oxides. Using MgO-based composite to form an underlayer material can improve the bonding strength among particles in the target, and then effectively reduce the falling of particles from the targets during sputtering. In addition, the MgO-based composite still maintains the cubic crystal structure of MgO, which is beneficial to make a MgO-based composites as an underlayer material in a magnetic recording medium. The invention is also related to an underlayer material for cobalt-based (Co-based) or iron-based (Fe-based) magnetic recording media. The invention is further related to a magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: This document discloses a perpendicular magnetic recording medium in which the magnetic anisotropy of a magnetic recording layer is raised and the thermal stability of recorded signals is improved without changing the conventional stacked configuration. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium is formed by stacking at least an intermediate layer, a second underlayer, and a magnetic recording layer in this order on a nonmagnetic base. The intermediate layer is either a single layer of Ru or a Ru-based alloy, or a stacked structure of a nonmagnetic alloy film including Co and Cr and a film of Ru or a Ru-based alloy. The second underlayer includes Co in the range from 30 at % to 75 at %, Cr in the range from 20 at % to 60 at %, and W in the range from 0.1 at % to 10 at %, and has a thickness in the range from 0.1 nm to 1.0 nm.

Abstract: In this invention, etching is not performed in the step of planarizing a polycrystalline Si wafer, but only mechanical grinding is performed for planarization. This is because, since the etching rate is crystal-face dependent, etching of the polycrystalline Si wafer unavoidably results in formation of steps due to different crystal face orientations of individual crystal grains exposed on a surface of the wafer, thus hindering precision surface planarization. Subsequently, the Si wafer surface is coated with an oxide film to form an Si wafer with oxide film prior to the final polishing stage and then a surface of the oxide film is planarized, to give a planar substrate (i.e., Si substrate with oxide film) having no step on the surface thereof.

Abstract: [Object] The present invention provides a perpendicular magnetic recording medium that can reduce noise by further size reduction and isolation of magnetic grains in a magnetic recording layer and can increase the recording density by improvement of the SNR. [Means for Solution] A typical configuration of a perpendicular magnetic recording medium according to the present invention is a perpendicular magnetic recording medium 100 having a magnetic recording layer 122 with a granular structure in which non-magnetic grain boundary portions are formed between magnetic grains that have grown continuously in a columnar shape, wherein the grain boundary portions contain a plurality of kinds of oxides.

Abstract: To provide a substrate which is not substantially chipped or cracked on the substrate end faces even when the substrate is a silicon substrate made of a brittle material, and provide a substrate which prevents dust raising from the substrate end faces and prevents dust raising due to rubbing with a processing cassette. A silicon substrate for a magnetic recording medium is formed by setting the lengths L of chamfered portions between the main surfaces of the substrate and the outer circumferential side end face to 0.1±0.03 mm and setting the angles ? between the main surfaces and the chamfered portions between the main surfaces and the outer circumferential side end face to 45 degrees ±5 degrees. It is also possible for a curved portion with a radius of 0.01 mm or more and less than 0.3 mm is interposed between the main surfaces and the outer circumferential side chamfered portions of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic recording medium which enables improvement of the layer quality of magnetic layer grown on the surface of a soft magnetic underlayer by conducting excellent control of crystal orientation by imparting an optimal half-width of the Rocking curve (??50), as well as obtainment of SNR that suppresses generation of TA and enables realization of high-density recording. The magnetic recording medium includes a soft magnetic underlayer, an orientation control layer, a perpendicular magnetic recording layer, and a protective layer, which are disposed on top of a non-magnetic substrate; wherein the magnetic anisotropy ratio (Hmr/Hmc) of the soft magnetic underlayer is 1 or less, and ??50 is 1 to 6 degrees.

Abstract: Information storage devices and methods of manufacturing the same are provided. An information storage device includes a magnetic layer formed on an underlayer. The underlayer has at least one first region and at least one second region. The first and second regions have different crystallinity characteristics. The magnetic layer has at least one third region formed on the at least one first region and at least one fourth region formed on the at least one second region. The third and fourth regions have different magnetic anisotropic energy constants.

Abstract: The object of present invention is to provide a magnetic disk substrate which uses a silicon substrate, in which chamfered surfaces are provided between the main surfaces of the silicon substrate and the outer circumferential surface; a ski-jump value H0 where H0?0 ?m, representing the distance from the basal level to point A3; a roll-off value H1 where H1??0.2 ?m and H1?0.0 ?m, representing the distance from the basal level to point A1; a tag-off value H2 where H2?0 ?m and H2?0.012 ?m, representing the maximum displacement of the border line of the main surface with respect to the line A1 to A2; curved surfaces are provided between the main surfaces and the chamfered surfaces; and the curvature radius R of the curved surface where R?0.013 mm and R?0.080 mm.

Abstract: The perpendicular magnetic recording medium of the present invention includes a substrate, a non-magnetic layer, a ferromagnetic layer and an antiferromagnetic oxide. The non-magnetic layer is formed on the substrate and the ferromagnetic layer is formed on the non-magnetic layer. The antiferromagnetic oxide is formed in the ferromagnetic layer after the perpendicular magnetic recording medium is annealed by an annealing process. An exchange coupling interaction between the antiferromagnetic oxide and the ferromagnetic materials is introduced.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive element includes a first underlying layer having an NaCl structure and containing a nitride orienting in a (001) plane, a first magnetic layer provided on the first underlying layer, having magnetic anisotropy perpendicular to a film surface, having an L10 structure, and containing a ferromagnetic alloy orienting in a (001) plane, a first nonmagnetic layer provided on the first magnetic layer, and a second magnetic layer provided on the first nonmagnetic layer and having magnetic anisotropy perpendicular to a film surface.

Abstract: The proportion of {100} crystal faces, the polish rate of which is relatively high during crystal machining, and/or the proportion of {111} crystal faces, the polish rate of which is relatively low during crystal machining, to the total area (S0) of a substrate surface, is set to fall within an appropriate range. Specifically, the proportion of the total area (S{100}) of the {100} crystal faces among crystal faces of individual crystal grains which appear on a major surface of a polycrystalline silicon substrate to the total area (S0) of the substrate surface, is set not less than 10% and less than 50%. Such crystal face selection makes it possible to reduce the scale of “steps” formed due to the crystal face index dependence of polish rate, thereby to give a planar and smooth substrate surface.

Abstract: A patterned perpendicular magnetic recording medium of the type that has spaced-apart pillars with magnetic material on their ends and with trenches between the pillars that are nonmagnetic regions is made with a method that allows use of a pre-etched substrate. A nonmagnetic capping layer is located in the trenches above the nonmagnetic regions. The substrate has diffusion material in the trenches that when heated will diffuse into the magnetic recording layer material and chemically react with it. The pillars are formed of material that will not diffuse into the recording layer. The recording layer is formed over the entire substrate and a nonmagnetic capping layer that is not chemically reactive with the diffusion material is formed over the recording layer in the trenches. The substrate is annealed to cause the recording layer material in the trenches and the material in the substrate to diffuse into one another and chemically react to render the trenches nonmagnetic.

Abstract: The invention relates to an element, comprising a substrate with a surface roughness of less than 5 nm, with saturated bonds on the surface and an MPt3 film applied to at least one side of the substrate, with a magnetic anisotropy perpendicular to the plane of the film, with M=a metal of the 5th to 9th sub-group of the periodic table, nickel or gadolinium. The invention further relates to a method for production of the above and the use of said elements as a magnetic component, for example as a magnetic sensor or as a magneto-optical storage element.