Abstract: A method for cleaning a post-sputter flat media disk, comprises submerging the disk in a wet conveyor containing a liquid, loading the disk onto a spindle of a spindle system, rotating the disk, engaging the disk on both sides with a pair of rollers such that the disk is wiped on both sides at a disk-roller interface due to the motion of the spindle system, and dispensing a slurry at the disk-roller interface.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing glass hard disk substrates comprises annealing and then tempering previously formed glass hard disk substrates. The annealed and tempered glass hard disk substrates have improved strength and stress resistance without chemical treatments.

Abstract: A disk processing system having a plurality of processing chambers, a load chamber comprising a heater, and a disk transport system coupled to the plurality of processing chambers and the load chamber to transport a disk there among.

Abstract: A method for forming a glass substrate comprises the steps of forming a glass blank with opposing substantially planar surfaces and at least one edge, coating the glass blank in silica-alumina nanoparticles, the silica-alumina nanoparticles comprising an inner core of silica with an outer shell of alumina, annealing the coated glass blank to form a conformal coating of silica-alumina around the glass blank, and polishing the coated glass blank to remove the conformal coating of silica-alumina from the opposing substantially planar surfaces thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods for extracting a Curie temperature distribution in a heat assisted magnetic recording medium are provided. One such method involves saturating a magnetic recording medium by causing a laser to direct light on the medium and causing a magnet adjacent to the medium to generate a magnetic field on the medium, causing the magnet to remove the magnetic field on the medium, writing to the medium by causing the laser to direct light on the medium, recording measurements of light reflected from the medium made by a light detector, converting the measurements of reflected light into measurements of remanent thermal magnetization, and extracting the Curie temperature distribution from the measurements of remanent thermal magnetization. One such system involves a processor coupled to a spindle, a magnet, a laser, and a light detector, where the processor is configured to perform this method.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) media configured to couple energy from a near field transducer (NFT) are provided. One such method includes providing a magnetic recording layer including an L10 ordered FePt or an L10 ordered CoPt, selecting a plurality of preselected parameters for a coupling layer, the preselected parameters including a material, a preselected deposition temperature, and a preselected thickness, and depositing the coupling layer directly on the magnetic recording layer using the preselected parameters such that the coupling layer has an extinction coefficient greater than 0.1.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include a recording medium comprising: a hard magnetic recording layer and an interlayer disposed under the hard magnetic recording layer, wherein the interlayer comprises an upper layer of Ru-based alloy and a lower layer of RuCo or ReCo alloy. Generally for embodiments of the present invention, the lower layer of RuCo or ReCo alloy is formed over a seed layer using a low-pressure sputter process, and the upper layer of Ru-based alloy is formed over the lower layer using a high-pressure sputter process.

Abstract: Methods for measuring media performance associated with adjacent track interference are provided. One such method includes iteratively writing data to a target track for each of a plurality of n frequencies, measuring a first signal amplitude and a first noise for each of the n sectors on the target track, writing an aggressor track pattern proximate the target track, measuring a second signal amplitude and a second noise for each of the n sectors on the target track, calculating a weighted sum for each of the signal amplitude measurements for each of the plurality of n frequencies, and calculating a weighted sum for each of the noise measurements for each of the plurality of n frequencies, and repeating the writing the aggressor track pattern, the measuring the second signal amplitude and the second noise, and calculating the weighted sums for preselected numbers of times.

Abstract: Systems for recycling slurry materials during polishing processes are provided. One system includes a polisher having an inlet and drain outlet, and a slurry storage tank to supply a slurry including a preselected material to the polisher inlet, and a recycling assembly including a cross flow filter including an inlet to receive a waste slurry including the preselected material from the polisher drain outlet, where the cross flow filter is configured to concentrate the preselected material in an outlet slurry, a density meter configured to measure a concentration of the preselected material in the filter outlet slurry, a valve coupled to the filter outlet and configured to supply the slurry storage tank, and a controller coupled to the density meter and valve, where the controller is configured to open the valve when the concentration of the preselected material reaches a first concentration threshold.

Abstract: Magnetic flux shunting pads for optimizing target erosion in sputtering processes are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a sputtering system for countering uneven wear of a sputter target, the system including a sputter target having an emitting surface and a rear surface opposite to the emitting surface, a moving magnet assembly positioned proximate the rear surface and including a planar base and a magnet fixed to the planar base at a preselected point, the moving magnet assembly configured to be moved such that a position of the magnet relative to the rear surface is varied, and a magnetic shunting pad having a planar shape and positioned between the moving magnet assembly and the target, wherein the shunting pad includes uneven magnetic shunting characteristics.

Abstract: Systems and methods for uniformly implanting materials on substrates using directed magnetic fields are provided. One such system includes a chamber configured to receive a preselected material and to enclose a first substrate, first and second rotating assemblies configured to facilitate an implantation of the preselected material onto first and second surfaces of the first substrate and including first and second rotating magnet sub-assemblies configured to direct magnetic fields onto the first and second surfaces, and an RF energizer configured to apply RF energy to the first substrate, where the first magnetic field and the second magnetic field combine to form a resultant magnetic field that is substantially parallel along the first surface, and where the implantation of the preselected material onto the first substrate occurs based on a combination of the RF energy and the resultant magnetic field.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a disk for a magnetic storage device is provided. The method comprises electroless plating a coating layer over a substrate to produce the disk, the coating layer forming an exterior surface of coating over the substrate, and annealing the coating layer using a heating source, wherein heat radiating from the heating source is directionally focused onto the exterior surface before the exterior surface is polished.

Abstract: A sputtering system includes a first sputtering assembly configured to sputter material onto a first disk and a second sputtering assembly configured to sputter material onto a second disk, the second sputtering assembly positioned proximate the first sputtering assembly. The first sputtering assembly includes a first magnetic ring, and the second sputtering assembly includes a second magnetic ring. The first magnetic ring includes a first region of lower relative magnetic strength positioned near the second magnetic ring, and the second magnetic ring includes a second region of lower relative magnetic strength positioned near the first magnetic ring.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improving accuracy of head positioning using existing servo patterns are provided. In one embodiment, a method for improving read head positioning is provided that comprises: writing a series of tracks over a range of read offsets to be calibrated; measuring a set of raw track profiles from the series of tracks; sampling the set of raw track profiles at a series of signal amplitude levels; constructing a reference track profile from the set of sampled track profiles; calculating a set of read offset deltas from each sampled track profile; merging the sets of read offset deltas into a set of average read offset deltas; and converting the set of average read offset deltas into a read offset correction table. A similar method for improving disk write head positioning is also provided which utilizes such a read offset correction table to eventually create write offset correction table.

Abstract: A workpiece carrier including an insert rail having a plurality of teeth, with each of the plurality of teeth having a first beveled upper edge surface.

Abstract: Systems and methods for forming magnetic media with an underlayer are provided. One such method includes providing a non-magnetic substrate, forming a seed layer above the substrate, the seed layer including MgO, forming an underlayer on the seed layer, the underlayer including a material selected from the group consisting of Pd, Pt, W, Fe, V, Cu, and Ag, and forming a magnetic recording layer on the underlayer, the recording layer including FePt oxide.

Abstract: An energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) system includes a magnetic recording medium including a plurality of bi-layers and a magnetic recording layer on the plurality of bi-layers, a magnetic transducer configured to write information to the magnetic recording medium, and a light source positioned proximate the magnetic transducer and configured to heat the magnetic recording medium. Each of the plurality of bi-layers includes a heatsink layer and an amorphous under-layer on the heatsink layer.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording disk having a single domain exchange-coupled laminated soft magnetic underlayer (SUL) is disclosed. The SUL is a combination synthetic anti-parallel coupled SUL structure, which has the product (Mst) of saturation magnetization and film thickness of the middle ferromagnetic layer less than the sum of the Mst of the bottom and top ferromagnetic layers. Subjected to a post radial field reset process, this SUL provides single domain state. Moreover, both robustness of stray fields and low permeability are obtained while keeping excellent corrosion resistance and cost effective manufacturability.

Abstract: A cleaning tank apparatus and methods for cleaning workpieces are described. The cleaning tank may include an outlet plate having a top edge and a bottom edge, with the outlet plate having a plurality of rows of outlet openings. The plurality of rows of outlet openings including a first row of outlet openings being closest to the top edge of the outlet plate, and a second row of outlet openings below the first row of outlet openings, wherein at least one of the outlet openings of the first row is larger than the outlet openings of the second row.

Abstract: A shield assembly for a sputter deposition chamber, the shield assembly including an outer sleeve with a gas inlet to conduct a gas through the outer sleeve and an inner sleeve disposed within the outer sleeve, the inner sleeve including gas channels on a surface mating with the outer sleeve to conduct the gas between the inner and outer sleeves. The shield assembly may further include an aperture ring adjacent to a first end of both the inner and outer sleeves, the aperture ring including a plurality of gas outlets to conduct the gas from the gas channels and an inner aperture flange extending from the plurality of gas outlets and adjacent to gas shield flange to form a gas runway for conducting the gas toward a sputter target located within the deposition chamber.