Patents by Inventor Kenji Ayama

Kenji Ayama has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9159351
    Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a soft magnetic layer, a pre-underlayer, an underlayer, and a main recording layer serving as a magnetic recording layer. The pre-underlayer contains seed crystal grains that serve as a base for crystal grains of the underlayer, and an addition substance that is added between the seed crystal grains and composed of an element having an atomic radius smaller than that of an element forming the seed crystal grains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: WD Media (Singapore) PTE. LTD
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sakamoto, Kong Kim, Takahiro Onoue, Masafumi Ishiyama, Teiichiro Umezawa, Kenji Ayama
  • Patent number: 8795857
    Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium of the invention is characterized by having, on a disk substrate 110, a soft magnetic layer 14, a magnetic recording layer 22, a continuous layer 24 magnetically continuous in the in-plane direction of the substrate, a blocking layer 25 for blocking shock imposed on the continuous layer, and a medium protective layer 28 containing carbon formed on the blocking layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: WD Media (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Ayama, Tokichiro Sato, Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama
  • Patent number: 8623528
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium (100) in which both of a coercive force Hc and reliability can be achieved at a higher level even with heating at the time of forming a medium protective layer (126) and to provide the perpendicular magnetic recording medium (100).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: WD Media (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama, Tokichiro Sato, Kenji Ayama, Takahiro Onoue, Junichi Horikawa
  • Patent number: 8383209
    Abstract: [Problems] To have a thin film suitably function even when the thickness of the thin film is reduced. [Means for Solving Problems] Provided is a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium by forming a thin film on a substrate (12). The method is provided with a thin film forming step of forming the thin film by using a substance brought into the plasma state as a material. In the thin film forming step, the thin film is formed by using a material substance gathering means (30) for gathering the substance brought into the plasma state to the periphery of the substrate. The material substance gathering means (30) gathers the substance brought into the plasma state, for instance, to the periphery of the substrate (12) by generating a magnetic field at the periphery of the substrate (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: WD Media (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenji Ayama
  • Patent number: 8309239
    Abstract: A vertical magnetic recording disc (100) includes a base (10), a magnetic recording layer (22), and a medium protection layer (26). The magnetic recording layer (22) is a ferromagnetic layer having a granular structure where a granular portion is formed. The medium protection layer (26) contains nitrogen (N) atoms and carbon (C) atoms with a number ratio (N/C) in a range from 0.050 to 0.150. In a Raman spectrum obtained by exciting the medium protection layer (26) by argon ion laser light of wavelength 514.5 nm, from which a fluorescence is removed, the peak ratio Dh/Gh is in a range from 0.70 to 0.95, when a D peak Dh appearing in the vicinity of 1350 cm?1 is separated from G peak Gh appearing in the vicinity of 1520 cm?1 by the Gauss function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: WD Media (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama, Kenji Ayama, Tokichiro Sato
  • Patent number: 8142916
    Abstract: Provided is a magnetic recording medium which maintains high S/N ratio and coercive force (Hc) and has high recording density, even with fine magnetic particles, by further improving crystal orientation of a magnetic recording layer. The magnetic recording medium is provided with an orientation control layer (16), a nonmagnetic under layer (18), and a magnetic recording layer (22) on a substrate. The orientation control layer (16) has an fcc structure and a (111) plane parallel to the substrate. The under layer (18) has an hcp structure and a (0001) plane parallel to the substrate. An atomic distance of the (111) plane of the orientation control layer (16) is ?0.2 ? to +0.15 ? to a lattice spacing of the under layer (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: WD Media (Singapore) Pte, Ltd
    Inventors: Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama, Kenji Ayama, Tokichiro Sato
  • Patent number: 8092931
    Abstract: A protection layer containing carbon as a major component is deposited by plasma CVD. The protection layer has film quality such that, when a spectrum is obtained by excluding photoluminescence from a Raman spectrum in a wavenumber band from 900 cm?1 to 1800 cm?1 obtained by exciting the protection layer with an argon ion laser beam having a wavelength of 514.5 nm and the spectrum is subjected to waveform separation by the Gaussian function to split a D peak appearing around 1350 cm?1 and a G peak appearing around 1520 cm?1, the ratio Dw/Gw between a half width Dw of the D peak and a half width Gw of the G peak exceeds 0 and is not greater than 2.7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: WD Media (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Ishiyama, Kenji Ayama
  • Patent number: 8057926
    Abstract: 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. A typical configuration of a perpendicular magnetic recording medium according to the present invention is a perpendicular magnetic recording medium having a magnetic recording layer 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: WD Media(Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Ayama, Tokichiro Sato, Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama, Junichi Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20110244119
    Abstract: A vertical magnetic recording disc (100) includes a base (10), a magnetic recording layer (22), and a medium protection layer (26). The magnetic recording layer (22) is a ferromagnetic layer having a granular structure where a granular portion is formed. The medium protection layer (26) contains nitrogen (N) atoms and carbon (C) atoms with a number ratio (N/C) in a range from 0.050 to 0.150. In a Raman spectrum obtained by exciting the medium protection layer (26) by argon ion laser light of wavelength 514.5 nm, from which a fluorescence is removed, the peak ratio Dh/Gh is in a range from 0.70 to 0.95, when a D peak Dh appearing in the vicinity of 1350 cm?1 is separated from G peak Gh appearing in the vicinity of 1520 cm?1 by the Gauss function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: WD MEDIA (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: TEIICHIRO UMEZAWA, MASAFUMI ISHIYAMA, KENJI AYAMA, TOKICHIRO SATO
  • Publication number: 20110111262
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium (100) in which both of a coercive force Hc and reliability can be achieved at a higher level even with heating at the time of forming a medium protective layer (126) and to provide the perpendicular magnetic recording medium (100).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: WD Media (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama, Tokichiro Sato, Kenji Ayama, Takahiro Onoue, Junichi Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20100279151
    Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a soft magnetic layer, a pre-underlayer, an underlayer, and a main recording layer serving as a magnetic recording layer. The pre-underlayer contains seed crystal grains that serve as a base for crystal grains of the underlayer, and an addition substance that is added between the seed crystal grains and composed of an element having an atomic radius smaller than that of an element forming the seed crystal grains.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicants: HOYA CORPORATION, HOYA MAGNETICS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sakamoto, Kong Kim, Takahiro Onoue, Masafumi Ishiyama, Teiichiro Umezawa, Kenji Ayama
  • Publication number: 20100215992
    Abstract: A magnetic recording medium used for perpendicular magnetic recording, the magnetic recording medium comprising: a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a magnetic recording medium constituent layer formed on the first surface of the substrate, the magnetic recording medium constituent layer including at least a magnetic recording layer; a non-magnetic metal film formed on the second surface of the substrate; and a carbon-based protective film formed on the non-magnetic metal film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicants: HOYA CORPORATION, HOYA MAGNETICS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Junichi HORIKAWA, Kenji AYAMA, Masafumi ISHIYAMA, Toshikatsu YAMAGUCHI, Yusuke SETO
  • Publication number: 20100209740
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicants: HOYA CORPORATION, HOYA MAGNETICS SINGAPORE PTE., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Ayama, Tokichiro Sato, Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama, Junichi Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20100196740
    Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium of the invention is characterized by having, on a disk substrate 110, a soft magnetic layer 14, a magnetic recording layer 22, a continuous layer 24 magnetically continuous in the in-plane direction of the substrate, a blocking layer 25 for blocking shock imposed on the continuous layer, and a medium protective layer 28 containing carbon formed on the blocking layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicants: HOYA CORPORATION, HOYA MAGNETICS SINGAPORE PTE LTD
    Inventors: Kenji Ayama, Tokichiro Sato, Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama
  • Publication number: 20100119878
    Abstract: Provided is a magnetic recording medium which maintains high S/N ratio and coercive force (Hc) and has high recording density, even with fine magnetic particles, by further improving crystal orientation of a magnetic recording layer. The magnetic recording medium is provided with an orientation control layer (16), a nonmagnetic under layer (18), and a magnetic recording layer (22) on a substrate. The orientation control layer (16) has an fcc structure and a (111) plane parallel to the substrate. The under layer (18) has an hcp structure and a (0001) plane parallel to the substrate. An atomic distance of the (111) plane of the orientation control layer (16) is ?0.2 ? to +0.15 ? to a lattice spacing of the under layer (18).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicants: HOYA CORPORATION, HOYA MAGNETICS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama, Kenji Ayama, Tokichiro Sato
  • Publication number: 20100112379
    Abstract: A vertical magnetic recording disc (100) includes a base (10), a magnetic recording layer (22), and a medium protection layer (26). The magnetic recording layer (22) is a ferromagnetic layer having a granular structure where a granular portion is formed. The medium protection layer (26) contains nitrogen (N) atoms and carbon (C) atoms with a number ratio (N/C) in a range from 0.050 to 0.150. In a Raman spectrum obtained by exciting the medium protection layer (26) by argon ion laser light of wavelength 514.5 nm, from which a fluorescence is removed, the peak ratio Dh/Gh is in a range from 0.70 to 0.95, when a D peak Dh appearing in the vicinity of 1350 cm?1 is separated from G peak Gh appearing in the vicinity of 1520 cm?1 by the Gauss function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicants: HOYA CORPORATION, HOYA MAGNETICS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Teiichiro Umezawa, Masafumi Ishiyama, Kenji Ayama, Tokichiro Sato
  • Publication number: 20100028560
    Abstract: [Problems] To have a thin film suitably function even when the thickness of the thin film is reduced. [Means for Solving Problems] Provided is a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium by forming a thin film on a substrate (12). The method is provided with a thin film forming step of forming the thin film by using a substance brought into the plasma state as a material. In the thin film forming step, the thin film is formed by using a material substance gathering means (30) for gathering the substance brought into the plasma state to the periphery of the substrate. The material substance gathering means (30) gathers the substance brought into the plasma state, for instance, to the periphery of the substrate (12) by generating a magnetic field at the periphery of the substrate (12).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Ayama
  • Patent number: 7537846
    Abstract: A protection layer containing carbon as a major component is deposited by plasma CVD. The protection layer has film quality such that, when a spectrum is obtained by excluding photoluminescence from a Raman spectrum in a wavenumber band from 900 cm?1 to 1800 cm?1 obtained by exciting the protection layer with an argon ion laser beam having a wavelength of 514.5 nm and the spectrum is subjected to waveform separation by the Gaussian function to split a D peak appearing around 1350 cm?1 and a G peak appearing around 1520 cm?1, the ratio Dw/Gw between a half width Dw of the D peak and a half width Gw of the G peak exceeds 0 and is not greater than 2.7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignees: Hoya Corporation, Hoya Magnetics Singapore Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Ishiyama, Kenji Ayama
  • Publication number: 20080268294
    Abstract: A protection layer containing carbon as a major component is deposited by plasma CVD. The protection layer has film quality such that, when a spectrum is obtained by excluding photoluminescence from a Raman spectrum in a wavenumber band from 900 cm?1 to 1800 cm?1 obtained by exciting the protection layer with an argon ion laser beam having a wavelength of 514.5 nm and the spectrum is subjected to waveform separation by the Gaussian function to split a D peak appearing around 1350 cm?1 and a G peak appearing around 1520 cm?1, the ratio Dw/Gw between a half width Dw of the D peak and a half width Gw of the G peak exceeds 0 and is not greater than 2.7.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: Masafumi Ishiyama, Kenji Ayama
  • Publication number: 20050181240
    Abstract: A protection layer containing carbon as a major component is deposited by plasma CVD. The protection layer has film quality such that, when a spectrum is obtained by excluding photoluminescence from a Raman spectrum in a wavenumber band from 900 cm?1 to 1800 cm?1 obtained by exciting the protection layer with an argon ion laser beam having a wavelength of 514.5 nm and the spectrum is subjected to waveform separation by the Gaussian function to split a D peak appearing around 1350 cm?1 and a G peak appearing around 1520 cm?1, the ratio Dw/Gw between a half width Dw of the D peak and a half width Gw of the G peak exceeds 0 and is not greater than 2.7.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2004
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Masafumi Ishiyama, Kenji Ayama