Abstract: A method for manufacturing magnetic recording media is provided, by which a magnetic recording medium that has a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern, a sufficiently flat surface, and good recording/reproducing properties can be manufactured. The method includes the steps of: depositing a first filling material over a workpiece to cover recording elements formed as convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern, and to fill at least part of a concave portion; depositing a detection material over the first filling material; depositing a second filling material over the detection material; and irradiating a surface of the workpiece with a process gas to flatten the surface. In the flattening step, a component of the detection material removed from and flying off the workpiece is detected to stop the irradiation with the process gas based on a result of detecting the component of the detection material.

Abstract: A dry etching method and the like that can process a layer to be processed in a fine pattern to have a peripheral portion of an angular shape, are described. This dry etching method forms a step portion 21 along a peripheral portion of a first mask layer 20 that corresponds to an outline of an etching pattern in such a manner that the step portion 21 projects toward an opposite side to a magnetic thin layer 18 (layer to be processed).

Abstract: A drawing method and a drawing apparatus use a drawing beam to draw a pattern, which will be used when forming a concave/convex pattern, on a resin layer formed on a substrate. When doing so, to prevent insufficient exposure to the drawing beam in certain parts of the pattern that tend to be insufficiently exposed, the number of irradiation of the drawing beam is changed. By doing so, the production of defects in the concave/convex pattern is avoided and the pattern can be made finer.

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes: recording elements formed as the convex portions of the recording layer formed in the predetermined concavo-convex pattern over a substrate; and a filling elements with which a concave portions between the recording elements are filled. A surface concave portion is formed in a surface of the magnetic recording medium above the recording element. The surface concave portion has a cross-sectional shape of which a portion corresponding to a center of the recording element lying thereunder in a width direction thereof is recessed deepest toward the substrate, and has a width monotonically increasing with increase of a distance from the substrate.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided which includes a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern including recording elements formed as convex portions, provides a good flying performance of a magnetic head, and has high reliability. A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus including that magnetic recording medium and a manufacturing method of that magnetic recording medium are also provided. The magnetic recording medium includes: the recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over a substrate, the recording elements being formed as convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern; filling elements with which concave portions between the recording elements are filled; a conductive film which has a smaller electric resistivity than the filling elements and is formed over the filling elements; and a protective layer which covers the recording elements and the filling elements and is in contact with an upper surface of the conductive film.

Abstract: A rotary-type magnetic recording medium has servo patterns formed in servo pattern regions on a substrate by patterns including recording regions and non-recording regions. Burst signal units composed of the recording regions or the non-recording regions are formed in burst pattern regions in the servo pattern regions. The burst signal units are formed so that for at least one edge out of both edges along a direction of rotation of the magnetic recording medium, a center in the direction of rotation is positioned closer to the other edge than both ends in the direction of rotation, and a ratio of a length along a radial direction of the magnetic recording medium between both ends and the center of the one edge to a length along the radial direction between both ends of the one edge and both ends of the other edge is in a range of 0.2 or below.

Abstract: A highly reliable magnetic recording medium is provided which has a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern and wherein the recording layer is unlikely to cause a change in magnetic properties. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern serving as recording elements; and a filler portion filling a concave portion between the recording elements. The filler portion comprises a metal-based main filler material and oxygen. Oxygen is unevenly distributed in the filler portion so that the ratio of the number of oxygen atoms to the total of the number of atoms of the main filler material and the number of oxygen atoms is greater in an upper surface portion of the filler portion than in a lower portion of the filler portion.

Abstract: On a rotary-type magnetic recording medium, servo patterns are formed in servo pattern regions on one surface and the other surface of a disk-shaped substrate by patterns including recording regions and non-recording regions. In the servo pattern regions on both the one surface and the other surface, plural functional regions are defined in order in a direction of rotation of the magnetic recording medium. In the pattern formed in at least one region out of the plural functional regions on the one surface, the non-recording regions are formed at formation positions on the one surface corresponding to formation positions of the recording regions on the other surface and the recording regions are formed at formation positions on the one surface corresponding to formation positions of the non-recording regions on the other surface.

Abstract: The present invention may provide a lens barrel which may include a guide shaft, and a movable lens frame. The barrel may be with an image capturing optical system disposed therein. The guide shaft may be disposed in the barrel and may extend parallel to the optical axis of the image capturing optical system. The movable lens frame may be reciprocally movable along the guide shaft in the barrel and holding lenses of the image capturing optical system. The barrel may include a wall supporting the guide shaft. The wall may include a light shield member projecting therefrom along the guide shaft in covering relation to a surface of the guide shaft which faces the optical axis.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium having a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern, which can allow a head to have stable flying characteristics. The recording layer is formed in a concavo-convex pattern, and concave portions of the concavo-convex pattern of the recording layer are filled with a non-magnetic material. The relationship of S?3.6×R holds, when R represents a concavo-convex ratio obtained by dividing an area of convex portions in a surface by an area of the concave portions in the surface, and S represents a difference in height between a concavity and a convexity of the surface. In the magnetic recording medium, an arithmetical mean deviation of the assessed profile of the surface is limited to 0.3 nm or more.

Abstract: A filling material different from a first mask layer (temporary coating material) is deposited over a workpiece to fill concave portions. At least part of excess portions of the filling material is removed by a dry etching method such that at least part of the side surfaces of the first mask layer over recording elements are exposed. Then, the first mask layer is removed by a dry etching method which uses a reactive gas having the property of chemically reacting with and removing both the filling material and the first mask layer as a processing gas and in which an etching rate for the first mask layer is higher than that for the filling material, and the etching rate for the filling material is higher than that for a recording layer (a lower layer that is in contact with a lower surface of the first mask layer over recording elements).

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes: a substrate; a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, the concavo-convex pattern including a convex portion that serves as a recording element; and a filling portion that fills a concave portion between the recording elements. The filling portion comprises a metal-based main filling material and nitrogen. Nitrogen is unevenly distributed in the filling portion such that the ratio of the number of nitrogen atoms to the total number of atoms of the main filling material and nitrogen atoms is greater in the upper surface portion of the filling portion than in the lower portion thereof.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided in which a magnetic recording layer 5 is provided in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern on a substrate 1A, a concave portion in a concavo-convex pattern is filled with a non-magnetic material, and a non-magnetic layer 16 formed of the non-magnetic material positioned at the bottom surface of the concave portion in the non-magnetic materials is formed on a convex portion of the concavo-convex pattern while surface of the convex portion and the concave portion is substantially flattened, and a thickness of the non-magnetic layer 16 is 1 nm or less.

Abstract: A mask forming method forms an A mask forming functional layer with an amorphous structure so as to cover an etched body, forms a B mask forming functional layer so as to cover the formed A mask forming functional layer, forms a convex/concave pattern in the formed B mask forming functional layer by carrying out a predetermined process to form a B mask on the A mask forming functional layer, and forms an A mask on the etched body by forming a convex/concave pattern in the A mask forming functional layer by dry etching the A mask forming functional layer using the B mask. By doing so, a convex/concave pattern with extremely small pattern fluctuations can be formed in the A mask forming functional layer.

Abstract: A method for producing slush nitrogen comprises the steps of: spraying liquid nitrogen from a nozzle into a vessel kept under a reduced pressure with a nozzle diameter and a spraying pressure being so adjusted as for the liquid nitrogen to maintain the form of droplets, to thereby form liquid nitrogen fine particles having a uniform particle diameter and disperse said particles in the vessel; vaporizing nitrogen from the droplet particles during the stay thereof in the space of the vessel, to solidify liquid nitrogen particles by vaporization latent heat and form fine solid nitrogen particles having a uniform particle diameter; and mixing the solid nitrogen particles with liquid nitrogen.

Abstract: A method for efficiently manufacturing a magnetic recording medium by filling concave portions of a concavo-convex patterned recording layer with a filler to provide sufficient surface flatness is provided. A cladding is etched by a dry etching method in which an etch rate of the cladding is equal to or higher than an etch rate of the filler. Then, by dry etching method in which an etch rate of the filler is higher than that of the cladding, the filler is etched so that a top surface of a diaphragm over a recording element (or a top surface of the recording element in absence of the diaphragm) is exposed, and the cladding remains over the concave portion of the concavo-convex pattern of the recording layer.

Abstract: An object is to prevent internal stress from remaining in a molded product to thereby improve the quality of the molded product. A mold apparatus (10) includes a first plate and a second plate which is disposed to face the first plate and is made of the same material as that of the first plate. At least one of the first and second plates has voids formed in its surface facing the other plate. Since at least one of the first and second plates has a plurality of voids formed in its surface facing the other plate, a molding material present in a cavity can be prevented from suffering local temperature unevenness. The pattern of a cavity insert can be satisfactorily transferred to a molded product to thereby improve the quality of the molded product. Since the first and second plates are made of the same material, diffusion bonding can be easily conducted. Furthermore, since the first and second plates have the same coefficient of thermal expansion, the mold apparatus (10) can have improved durability.

Abstract: The recording layer (to-be-etched layer), a main mask layer, and a sub mask layer are formed in this order over a substrate, and the sub mask layer is processed into a predetermined concavo-convex pattern. Next, parts of the main mask layer under the concave portions are removed by reactive ion etching using oxygen or ozone as the reactive gas. Parts of the recording layer under the concave portions are also removed by dry etching, whereby the recording layer is shaped into the concavo-convex pattern. The main mask layer is chiefly made of carbon. The sub mask layer is made of a material having an etching rate lower than that of carbon with respect to the reactive ion etching in the step of processing the main mask layer.

Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing device includes: a magnetic recording medium in which a magnetic recording layer is formed in a concavo-convex pattern so that tracks are formed by convex portions of a predetermined track width and arranged in parallel in the track width direction; a heating head for heating the magnetic recording medium to partially reduce coercivity of the tracks; a recording head for applying a recording magnetic field to a heated portion of the magnetic recording medium to record magnetic data on the tracks; and a reproducing head for detecting a reproducing magnetic field of the tracks. In this configuration, an effective recording area has an effective recording width that is equal to or more than the track width, and equal to or less than a sum of the track width and a doubled value of width of concave portions between the tracks.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a magnetic recording medium, and the like are provided, which can suppress misalignment of a processed shape of divided recording elements and magnetic degradation and can efficiently manufacture a magnetic recording medium having good magnetic characteristics. In the manufacturing method, ion beam etching is used as a dry etching technique for a continuous recording layer 20. Before dry etching of the continuous recording layer 20, a resist layer 26 is removed. As the material for a first mask layer covering the continuous recording layer, diamond like carbon is used.