Abstract: A polished glass disk is prepared for a magnetically recordable coating by texturing the surfaces with a highly abrasive material being abrasively engaged with the surfaces as the disk is rotated, thereby creating a relatively coarse texture with the abrasions concentric with the axis of rotation of the disk. Thereafter, the roughness of the texturing is reduced by abrading the surface of the disk with a polishing pad and an etchant slurry of colloidal silica. The etchant component has the property of attacking or softening the glass disk during the fine polishing with the colloidal silica slurry. As both the texturing step and the fine polishing step deposit a plurality of concentric abrasions on a glass disk, these abrasions aid in retaining the magnetically recordable coating deposited thereon to complete a magnetically recordable disk for use as a data storage member.

Abstract: A method of preparing for a disk polishing operation includes providing a polishing machine having a first and a second superposed platen. A first polishing pad is on the first platen and a second polishing pad is on the second platen. A plurality of carriers are disposed between the first and second polishing pads. Each carrier is adapted to rotate relative to the polishing pads and is adapted to carry at least one glass disk. A pressure, temperature and rotational speed of the polishing machine used during a disk polishing operation are determined. A number of diamond disks are provided. A diamond disk is placed in respective ones of the carriers. The polishing machine is operated at or near the determined pressure, temperature and rotational speed while simultaneously dressing the respective surfaces of the polishing pads using the diamond disks.

Abstract: Disk substrates are polished in a process which uses a single load of the disks to a polishing apparatus and a single polishing slurry. Preferably, the process varies at least one polishing parameter at multiple stages to achieve both a reasonable rate of removal during one stage and a smooth finished surface during another stage. Preferably, a fine grit cerium oxide slurry is used, along with a polishing pad having surface characteristics intermediate those of relatively hard pads typically used for material removal, and of relatively soft pads typically used for fine finishing. The polisher operates at high pressure and speed during a material removal stage, and then reduces speed and pressure during a finishing stage to achieve a suitable surface finish, without removing and cleaning disks between the two stages.

Abstract: A polished glass disk is prepared for a magnetically recordable coating by texturing the surfaces with a highly abrasive material being abrasively engaged with the surfaces as the disk is rotated, thereby creating a relatively coarse texture with the abrasions concentric with the axis of rotation of the disk. Thereafter, the roughness of the texturing is reduced by abrading the surface of the disk with a polishing pad and an etchant slurry of colloidal silica. The etchant component has the property of attacking or softening the glass disk during the fine polishing with the colloidal silica slurry. As both the texturing step and the fine polishing step deposit a plurality of concentric abrasions on a glass disk, these abrasions aid in retaining the magnetically recordable coating deposited thereon to complete a magnetically recordable disk for use as a data storage member.

Abstract: Disk substrates are polished in a process which uses a single load of the disks to a polishing apparatus and a single polishing slurry. Preferably, the process varies at least one polishing parameter at multiple stages to achieve both a reasonable rate of removal during one stage and a smooth finished surface during another stage. Preferably, a fine grit cerium oxide slurry is used, along with a polishing pad having surface characteristics intermediate those of relatively hard pads typically used for material removal, and of relatively soft pads typically used for fine finishing. The polisher operates at high pressure and speed during a material removal stage, and then reduces speed and pressure during a finishing stage to achieve a suitable surface finish, without removing and cleaning disks between the two stages.

Abstract: A method of preparing for a disk polishing operation includes providing a polishing machine having a first and a second superposed platen. A first polishing pad is on the first platen and a second polishing pad is on the second platen. A plurality of carriers are disposed between the first and second polishing pads. Each carrier is adapted to rotate relative to the polishing pads and is adapted to carry at least one glass disk. A pressure, temperature and rotational speed of the polishing machine used during a disk polishing operation are determined. A number of diamond disks are provided. A diamond disk is placed in respective ones of the carriers. The polishing machine is operated at or near the determined pressure, temperature and rotational speed while simultaneously dressing the respective surfaces of the polishing pads using the diamond disks.

Abstract: A dressing disk for dressing and reconditioning the polishing pad of a planetary disk polishing machine is fabricated by plating a nickel/diamond matrix layer onto a stainless steel disk wherein the matrix layer thickness is developed or plated to a thickness which leaves exposed about 25 percent of the fine diamond particles, thereby forming a surface that has the look and feel of medium to coarse sandpaper. The dressing disks are inserted into the holes in a disk carrier of a planetary polishing machine and driven by its central rotary drive.