Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, including a substrate; an etch stop layer overlying the substrate, wherein the etch stop layer is substantially resistant to etching conditions; and a patterned layer overlying the etch stop layer, wherein the patterned layer is substantially labile to the etching conditions, and wherein the patterned layer comprises a number of features including substantially consistent feature profiles among regions of high feature density and regions of low feature density.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose an analyzer configured to determine positions of circumferential gratings track features and alignment patterns in a first template and a phase device configured to determine positions of radial gratings features and interspersed pattern fields in a second template, wherein the first template is transferred and cross-imprinted with the second template features and patterns to form a third template substrate as a rectangular patterned stack imprint template.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method including conformally depositing a first layer over a patterned resist; depositing a second, thicker layer over the first layer; etching the second layer to expose the first layer; and patterning a magnetic layer by ion implantation in accordance with the patterned resist to form a patterned magnet layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium includes the steps of (a) forming a perpendicular magnetic recording layer and (b) applying an ion beam to regions between tracks of the perpendicular magnetic recording layer so as to form separation regions for magnetically separating the tracks from each other. In the step (a), a continuous film layer composed of a multilayer film is formed, and CoB layers and Pd layers are laminated in the multilayer film. In the step (b), the CoB layers and the Pd layers are melted by the ion beam so as to form an alloy of metals contained in the CoB layers and the Pd layers to thereby form the separation regions.

Abstract: A planarization process may planarize a media disk that has data trenches between data features and larger servo trenches between servo features. A filler material layer is deposited on the media disk and provides step coverage of the trenches. The filler material has data recesses over the data trenches and servo recesses over the servo trenches that must be removed to produce a planar media surface. A first planarization process is used to remove the data recesses and a second planarization process is used to remove the servo recesses.

Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, including a first region corresponding to a data region in a patterned recording medium; a first set of features in the first region; a second region corresponding to a servo region in a patterned recording medium; and a second set of features in the second region including rhomboidal protrusions, wherein the first set of features and the second set of features are circumferentially aligned in accordance with concentrically circular lines etched into the apparatus across the first region and the second region.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a stack feature of a stack configured to confine optical fields within and to a patterned plasmonic underlayer in the stack configured to guide light from a light source to regulate optical coupling.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a plasmonic cladding structure including at least one conformal plasmonic cladding structure wrapped around plural stack features of a recording device, wherein the conformal plasmonic cladding structure is configured to create a near-field transducer in close proximity to a recording head of the recording device, at least one conformal plasmonic cladding structure with substantially removed top surfaces of the stack features with exposed magnetic layer materials and a thermally insulating filler configured to be located between the stack features.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a continuous thin film magnetic layer and a patterned hard mask layer configured to be deposited onto the continuous thin film magnetic layer and to have plural ion implantations, wherein the ion implantations are configured to create chemically and structurally altered localized magnetic regions unprotected by the patterned hard mask layer.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a patterned perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises steps of: (a) providing a layer stack including a magnetically soft underlayer (“SUL”) and an overlying non-magnetic interlayer; (b) forming a masking layer on the non-magnetic interlayer; (c) forming a resist layer on the masking layer; (d) forming a pattern of recesses extending through the resist layer and exposing spaced apart surface portions of the masking layer; (e) extending the pattern of recesses through the masking layer to expose spaced apart surface portions of the interlayer; and (f) at least partially filling the pattern of recesses with a magnetically hard material to form a perpendicular magnetic recording layer.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a method of protecting patterned magnetic materials of a stack, including depositing a thin continuous film of an inert material that is inert to the magnetic materials of a patterned stack upon which the thin continuous film is being deposited and forming a thin interim interface layer from the thin continuous film to protect top and sidewall areas of non-etched higher relief magnetic islands and magnetic film etched surfaces of the patterned stack from air exposure damage and damage from contact with backfilled materials.

Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, including an imprint template including a dual-imprint pattern, wherein the dual-imprint pattern is characteristic of imprinting a first pattern on the template with a first template and a second pattern on the template with a second template, and wherein the first pattern and the second pattern at least partially overlap to form the dual-imprint pattern.

Abstract: A method of imprint lithography includes imprinting a first pattern with a first template on a first substrate of a lithographic template. A second pattern is imprinted with a second template on the substrate of the lithographic template. The first pattern and the second pattern at least partially overlap, thus forming a third pattern. The third pattern is lithographically formed on a second substrate with the lithographic template. In an embodiment, the first pattern is a concentric line pattern formed by thin film deposition. In an embodiment, the second pattern is a radial line pattern. In an embodiment the first pattern and the second pattern may have line frequency increased.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a method of creating a mask by depositing a protection layer that mechanically strengthens patterned features that are imprinted into a resist layer that is deposited onto a magnetic layer, implanting mechanically strengthened patterned resist layer features into the magnetic layer using ion implantation and removing the resist layer and the mask to expose at least a portion of the magnetic layer.

Abstract: A method for encoder frequency-shift compensation includes determining frequency values of an input encoder signal, determining repeatable frequency-shifts of the frequency values and generating a frequency-shift compensated clock using the repeatable frequency-shifts. A frequency-shift compensated clock includes a synthesizer configured to generate a frequency-shift compensated clock signal using repeatable frequency shifts and encoder clock signals.

Abstract: Producing a servo pattern on a media involves rotating a master, and during a first revolution of the master, forming a first transition at a first radial position on the master, and forming a first transition at a second radial position. During a second revolution of the master, a second transition at the first radial position is formed, and a second transition at the second radial position is formed. By exposing individual servo burst transitions located at the first and second radial positions, in separate disk revolutions, only one of the magnetic transitions will inherit a particular deflection from a nominal radial position. If there are any mechanical disturbances, each magnetic transition will be randomly displaced from its nominal position, reducing the written-in run-out by ?n, where n is the number of magnetic transitions in a particular servo burst.

Abstract: A planarization process may planarize a media disk that has data trenches between data features and larger servo trenches between servo features. A filler material layer is deposited on the media disk and provides step coverage of the trenches. The filler material has data recesses over the data trenches and servo recesses over the servo trenches that must be removed to produce a planar media surface. A first planarization process is used to remove the data recesses and a second planarization process is used to remove the servo recesses.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a method for encoder frequency-shift compensation, including, determining frequency values of an input encoder signal, analyzing an encoder index clock signal and the input encoder signal to determine values of frequency-shifts and compensating for the values of the frequency-shifts to generate a frequency-shift compensated clock.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium for perpendicular magnetic recording includes the steps of forming a first magnetic layer which has magnetic crystal grains exhibiting perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and nonmagnetic substances for magnetically separating the magnetic crystal grains from each other at grain boundaries of the magnetic crystal grains, forming a second magnetic layer which has magnetic grains exchange-coupled to the magnetic crystal grains, a grain boundary width of the magnetic grains being smaller than a grain boundary width of the magnetic crystal grains, and forming separation regions which magnetically separate tracks from each other in regions between the tracks of the magnetic recording medium in at least the second magnetic layer. The separation regions are disposed substantially only in the second magnetic layer of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a method of protecting patterned magnetic materials of a stack, including depositing a thin continuous film of an inert material that is inert to the magnetic materials of a patterned stack upon which the thin continuous film is being deposited and forming a thin interim interface layer from the thin continuous film to protect top and sidewall areas of non-etched higher relief magnetic islands and magnetic film etched surfaces of the patterned stack from air exposure damage and damage from contact with backfilled materials.