Abstract: An apparatus and associated method for reorienting the magnetic anisotropy of magnetic recording discs. A pallet that is moveable along a path of travel is also sized to selectively hold either a first magnetic recording disc of a first size or a second magnetic recording disc of a second size different than the first size. A first processing chamber in the path of travel is adapted for forming a soft underlayer (SUL) of magnetic material with non-radially oriented magnetic anisotropy on a substrate corresponding to one of the first and second magnetic recording discs. A second processing chamber in the path of travel downstream of the first processing chamber is adapted for selectively re-orienting the SUL's magnetic anisotropy via a magnetic source emanating a first magnetic field if the substrate corresponds to the first magnetic recording disc and emanating a different second magnetic field if the substrate corresponds to the second magnetic recording disc.

Abstract: A method of forming a layer of a magnetic material with radially oriented magnetic anisotropy, comprising sequential steps of providing a circular, annular disk-shaped substrate having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, forming a layer of a magnetic material with non-radially oriented magnetic anisotropy over at least one surface of the substrate, and re-orienting the magnetic anisotropy in a radial direction. Preferably, the re-orientation is performed magnetically and the radially oriented layer serves as a magnetically soft underlayer (SUL) of a magnetic recording medium. Also disclosed is a multi-chamber apparatus for performing the disclosed process.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method for reorienting the magnetic anisotropy of magnetic recording discs. A pallet that is moveable along a path of travel is also sized to selectively hold either a first magnetic recording disc of a first size or a second magnetic recording disc of a second size different than the first size. A first processing chamber in the path of travel is adapted for forming a soft underlayer (SUL) of magnetic material with non-radially oriented magnetic anisotropy on a substrate corresponding to one of the first and second magnetic recording discs. A second processing chamber in the path of travel downstream of the first processing chamber is adapted for selectively re-orienting the SUL's magnetic anisotropy via a magnetic source emanating a first magnetic field if the substrate corresponds to the first magnetic recording disc and emanating a different second magnetic field if the substrate corresponds to the second magnetic recording disc.

Abstract: An apparatus for reorienting the magnetic anisotropy of the soft underlay of a magnetic recording disc having a diameter less than that of the pallet, which operates by first heating the disc, then using a heat transfer plate to cool the disc in the presence of a magnetic field having a radial direction emanating from the center of the magnetic recording disc.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording media having an amorphous corrosion-resistant cap layer is disclosed. Preferably, the cap layer is a chromium alloy comprising Pt and C. A method of manufacturing the media is also disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus for rapidly establishing at least one preselected gas pressure in a process chamber comprising: (a) a chamber defining an interior space adapted to be maintained at a reduced pressure; and (b) a gas supply means for supplying at least one burst of gas to the chamber for rapidly establishing the at least one preselected gas pressure in the chamber, the gas supply means including: (i) a source of the gas; (ii) a supply ballast fluidly connected to the gas source for receiving the gas from the source; (iii) at least one burst ballast fluidly connected to the supply ballast via a metering valve for receiving the gas from the supply ballast; and (iv) an on/off valve fluidly connected to the at least one burst ballast and the chamber for supplying the process chamber with the gas from the at least one burst ballast.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium comprises sequential steps of: (a) providing an apparatus for manufacturing the medium; (b) supplying the apparatus with a substrate for the medium; (c) forming a magnetic recording layer on the substrate in a first portion of the apparatus; (d) treating the magnetic recording layer with oxygen gas in a second portion of the apparatus at a sub-atmospheric pressure and for an interval sufficient to provide the resultant medium with at least one of the following, relative to a similar medium manufactured by a similar method but wherein the oxygen treatment of step (d) is not performed: (i) a more negative nucleation field (Hn); (ii) increased remanent squareness (Sr); (iii) increased signal-to-medium noise ratio (SMNR); (iv) narrower switching field distribution (SFD); and (v) decreased thermal decay rate; and (e) forming a protective overcoat layer on the oxygen-treated magnetic recording layer in a third portion of the apparatus.

Abstract: Embodiments of a data storage system having thermally activated readout are provided, in one embodiment, a data storage system includes a source of heat, a substrate, a write layer disposed above the substrate, a copy layer disposed above the write layer, a flying head disposed above the layers and carrying the source of heat for heating a selected spot on the copy and write layers, wherein the write layer comprises a ferromagnetic material selected to have an extremely high coercivity at room temperature and a very high write temperature Twrite, and the copy layer comprises a ferromagnetic material selected to have a coercivity always less than coercivity of the write layer at the same temperature and a copy temperature Tcopy substantially less than the write temperature of the write layer.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium comprises sequential steps of:

Abstract: A high areal recording density, perpendicular magnetic recording medium with reduced or substantially zero DC noise, comprising:

Abstract: A compositionally modulated magneto-optic structure includes a plurality of layers defining a layer stack, the overall layer stack including the elements Tb, Fe, and Pb; or the elements Tb, Co, and Pb; or the elements Tb, Fe, and Bi; or the elements Tb, Co and Bi.

Abstract: A magnetooptic medium comprising a substrate, an amorphous seed layer and a recording multilayer deposited onto the seed layer wherein the seed layer has a thickness of greater than 18 nm but less than 200 nm and is selected to improve the coercivity, squareness, and Kerr rotation of the Kerr hysteresis loop of the recording multilayer, and the recording multilayer includes alternating layers of cobalt and platinum or cobalt and palladium or cobalt and platinum-palladium alloy.

Abstract: A magnetooptic medium which includes a substrate, an amorphous seed layer and a recording multilayer layer. The seed layer is ITO, Si or SiC, and the recording multilayer includes alternating layers of cobalt/platinum or cobalt/palladium or mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A magnetooptic medium which includes a substrate, a crystalline seed layer of ZnO, and a recording multilayer layer. The seed layer is ZnO, and the recording multilayer includes alternating layers of cobalt/platinum or cobalt/palladium or mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A composite magnetic head has a media-contact surface defined by a gapped magnetic core sandwiched between a pair of ceramic substrates. The core is laminated and comprises thin layers of sputter-deposited FeRuGaSiX uniaxial anisotropic magnetic material alternating with even thinner layers of a dielectric material, where X is selected from the group consisting of Zr, Re, Ni and Co.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for the direct overwriting of an optical storage medium having a magneto-optical recording layer. The apparatus includes a condensing lens for focusing radiation from first and second radiation sources on a first and a second region respectively of the recording layer, wherein a region illuminated by the first radiation source is thereafter illuminated by the second radiation source. First and second magnets are provided. The first magnet is proximate the first radiation beam and has a first magnetic pole proximate the first region without contacting the storage medium. The second magnet is proximate the second radiation beam and has a magnetic pole opposite the first magnetic pole proximate the second region. The first magnet and the first radiation beam are selected to provide a first orientation of magnetic domains in the magneto-optical recording layer.

Abstract: Apparatus for, and a method of, duplicating magnetically recorded information by contact transfer from a master medium to a slave medium in the absence of a transfer field. The slave medium comprises a dilute concentration of magnetic particles productive of a demagnetization field that is negligible compared to an external magnetic field of the master medium in its contact-transfer zone. The absence of an appreciable demagnetization field in the slave medium enables the external magnetic field of the master medium to be virtually unopposed in effecting the magnetization of the slave medium.

Abstract: A 3,000-10,000 angstrom thick cobalt-platinum (CoPt) magnetic film is deposited onto a chromium (Cr) or tungsten (W) overlayer on a substrate, or is deposited directly onto the substrate. The deposited film has an appreciable component of its C-axis, which is parallel to the [00.2] direction, lying in the plane of the film. The component of the C-axis lies in the plane of the film throughout the entire thickness of the CoPt film, and the resultant magnetic film has a coercivity from 1,300-2,000 oersteds, depending upon which, if any, overlayer is included.The method for producing the magnetic film of the invention teaches sputtering the overlayer onto a substrate maintained approximately at room temperature in an atmosphere of inert gas. After ajdusting the pressure of the gas and controlling the distance between the CoPt sputtering target and the substrate, CoPt is sputtered such that the depositing Co and Pt atoms are thermalized while traversing the distance between the target and the substrate.