Abstract: Provided is a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate, including: forming an interlayer dielectric film above the semiconductor substrate; forming contact holes exposed from a part of an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate on the interlayer dielectric film; and forming an metal electrode including an element of aluminum by DC sputtering above the interlayer dielectric film and inside the contact holes, wherein in at least a part of a process of forming the metal electrode in forming the electrode, a heating temperature that is a temperature for heating the semiconductor substrate is 400° C. or higher, and a DC sputtering power is 5 kW or lower.

Abstract: A method for making a magnetic recording medium, including providing a substrate, forming a magnetic layer on the substrate, applying filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition to form a film on the magnetic layer, and performing nitridation on the film formed by the FCVA deposition.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a protective film having a smaller thickness that none-the-less suppresses degradation of the protective film and maintains corrosion resistance is achieved. The method for manufacturing a carbon-containing protective film includes: (a) forming a carbon material film on a substrate by a plasma CVD method using a starting material gas containing a hydrocarbon gas; and (b) nitriding the carbon material film by using plasma generated from a nitrogen-containing starting material gas in a plasma CVD device having an anode and a cathode, to form the carbon-containing protective film. During nitriding, an anode potential may be equal to or greater than 20 V, an ion acceleration potential difference may be within a range of 20 V to 120 V, and a substrate current density may be within a range of 4×10?6 A/mm2 to 8×10?6 A/mm2.

Abstract: A method for making a magnetic recording medium, including providing a substrate, forming a magnetic layer on the substrate, applying filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition to form a film on the magnetic layer, and performing nitridation on the film formed by the FCVA deposition.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; a metal film layer disposed on the substrate; a protective film disposed on the metal film layer; and a lubricant film disposed on a surface of the protective film. The protective film is composed of amorphous carbon containing fluorine and nitrogen in a surface region, and a region deeper than 0.5 nm deep from the surface of the protective film is substantially free from the fluorine and nitrogen. The fluorine and nitrogen may be each added in an amount of 5 to 20 at. %. The present invention simultaneously accomplishes a reduction in film thickness, an improvement in durability and corrosion resistance, and an improvement of the bonding strength of the surface of the protective film to the lubricating film.

Abstract: A method for producing a protective film for a magnetic recording medium comprises steps of (a) providing a magnetic layer formed on a substrate; and (b) forming a protective film on the magnetic layer by means of a plasma CVD method using mixed gas of specific lower saturated hydrocarbon gas and specific lower unsaturated hydrocarbon gas as source gas. Step (b) includes (b-1) of forming a first protective film on the magnetic layer and (b-2) of forming a second protective film on the first protective film. B-1 uses source gas with gas mixture ratio such that average number of hydrogen atoms per carbon atom in the source gas is greater than 2.5 but less than 3.0. B-2 uses source gas with gas mixture ratio such that the average number of hydrogen atoms per carbon atom in the source gas is greater than 2.0 but less than 2.5.

Abstract: A protective film is disclosed that is mainly composed of a tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C film) that is denser than a DLC film formed by a plasma CVD method and containing aggregate particles so reduced as to a necessary and sufficient level, to provide a method of manufacturing such a protective film, and to provide a magnetic recording medium comprising such a protective film. The film is mainly composed of a ta-C film formed by a filtered cathodic arc method using a cathode target of glass state carbon. A magnetic recording medium is disclosed which includes a substrate, a magnetic recording layer, and the protective film mainly composed of a ta-C film.

Abstract: A method of reading and writing a magnetic recording medium using a magnetic head that has an element portion, the magnetic recording medium including a base, a metal film formed on the base, a protective film formed on the metal film, and a lubricating film formed on the protective film. The method includes reading and writing the magnetic recording medium while positioning the element portion of the magnetic head in the lubricating film.

Abstract: A method of forming a protective film of a magnetic recording medium is provided that achieves a good bonding characteristic with a lubricant film and at the same time, suppressing adhesion of contamination gases, to attain a reduced thickness of the magnetic recording medium. The method includes forming a protective film on a lamination including a substrate and a metallic film layer formed on the substrate, by means of a plasma CVD method using a raw material of a hydrocarbon gas, and performing a surface treatment on the protective film. The surface treatment includes a plasma treatment with argon gas, and a plasma treatment with a gas containing at least nitrogen gas.

Abstract: A method of reading and writing a magnetic recording medium using a magnetic head that has an element portion, the magnetic recording medium including a base, a metal film formed on the base, a protective film formed on the metal film, and a lubricating film formed on the protective film. The method includes reading and writing the magnetic recording medium while positioning the element portion of the magnetic head in the lubricating film.

Abstract: In a vacuum are evaporation apparatus, to stably maintain vacuum arc discharge at an arc source when depositing a cathode material on a substrate, namely a magnetic recording medium, an ungrounded anode of a coil-type tube is placed inside an are source discharge vacuum chamber. A DC are power supply is connected between the cathode and the anode to cause an are current to flow in the anode to generate a first magnetic field in one direction, from the cathode toward the anode. A second magnetic field is generated in the opposite direction, from the anode to the cathode by feeding a specified current to an external coil positioned around the discharge chamber. The external coil includes an around-cathode coil and an around-anode coil. The arc discharge can be started by operating a striker to carry out the deposition.

Abstract: A protective film for a magnetic recording medium is composed of amorphous carbon containing fluorine and nitrogen, the fluorine and nitrogen being present in a region 0.5 nm deep from a surface of the protective film. A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; a metal film layer placed on the substrate; and the protective film placed on the metal film layer. A method for producing the protective film for a magnetic recording medium includes providing a stacked body containing a substrate and a metal film layer formed on the substrate; forming the protective film on the stacked body; and plasma-processing the protective film in a fluorine-containing gas and a nitrogen-containing gas. The protective film of the present invention simultaneously accomplishes reduction in film thickness, improvement of durability and corrosion resistance, and improvement of the bonding strength of the surface of the protective film to a lubricating film.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for forming a carbon protective layer on a substrate using a plasma CVD method allows a more uniform in-plane distribution of the carbon protective layer thickness. The apparatus includes an annular anode that generates a plasma beam and a disk-shaped shield disposed between the anode and the substrate. The anode, the shield, and the substrate are concentrically arranged so that a straight line connecting the centers of the anode and the substrate is perpendicular to the deposition surface of the substrate where the carbon protective layer is to be formed. The center of the shield is also on the straight line.

Abstract: A method of forming a protective film for a magnetic recording medium is disclosed. The protective film suppresses cobalt elution out of the magnetic recording layer and has a thickness not larger than 3 nm. The method of the invention of forming a protective film for a magnetic recording medium comprises (1) a step of forming a protective film, on a lamination including a substrate and metallic film layers formed on the substrate, by means of a plasma CVD method using a raw gas of a hydrocarbon gas, wherein a flow rate of the hydrocarbon gas is in a range of 50 sccm to 200 sccm and a emission current is in a range of 0.1 A to 0.3 A, and (2) a step of surface treatment on the protective film that has been formed in the step (1), including sub-steps of (2a) a plasma treatment in an argon gas and (2b) a plasma treatment in a gas containing a nitrogen gas.

Abstract: A method of forming a protective film of a magnetic recording medium is provided that achieves a good bonding characteristic with a lubricant film and at the same time, suppressing adhesion of contamination gases, to attain a reduced thickness of the magnetic recording medium. The method includes forming a protective film on a lamination including a substrate and a metallic film layer formed on the substrate, by means of a plasma CVD method using a raw material of a hydrocarbon gas, and performing a surface treatment on the protective film. The surface treatment includes a plasma treatment with argon gas, and a plasma treatment with a gas containing at least nitrogen gas.

Abstract: A method of forming a protective film of a magnetic recording medium is provided that achieves a good bonding characteristic with a lubricant film and at the same time, suppressing adhesion of contamination gases, to attain a reduced thickness of the magnetic recording medium. The method includes forming a protective film on a lamination including a substrate and a metallic film layer formed on the substrate, by means of a plasma CVD method using a raw material of a hydrocarbon gas, and performing a surface treatment on the protective film. The surface treatment includes a plasma treatment with argon gas, and a plasma treatment with a gas containing at least nitrogen gas.

Abstract: A protective film is disclosed that is mainly composed of a tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C film) that is denser than a DLC film formed by a plasma CVD method and containing aggregate particles so reduced as to a necessary and sufficient level, to provide a method of manufacturing such a protective film, and to provide a magnetic recording medium comprising such a protective film. The film is mainly composed of a ta-C film formed by a filtered cathodic arc method using a cathode target of glass state carbon. A magnetic recording medium is disclosed which includes a substrate, a magnetic recording layer, and the protective film mainly composed of a ta-C film.

Abstract: In a vacuum arc evaporation apparatus, to stably maintain vacuum arc discharge at an arc source when depositing a cathode material on a substrate, namely a magnetic recording medium, an ungrounded anode of a coil-type tube is placed inside an arc source discharge vacuum chamber. A DC arc power supply is connected between the cathode and the anode to cause an arc current to flow in the anode to generate a first magnetic field in one direction, from the cathode toward the anode. A second magnetic field is generated in the opposite direction, from the anode to the cathode by feeding a specified current to an external coil positioned around the discharge chamber. The external coil includes an around-cathode coil and an around-anode coil. The arc discharge can be started by operating a striker to carry out the deposition.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for forming a carbon protective layer on a substrate using a plasma CVD method allows a more uniform in-plane distribution of the carbon protective layer thickness. The apparatus includes an annular anode that generates a plasma beam and a disk-shaped shield disposed between the anode and the substrate. The anode, the shield, and the substrate are concentrically arranged so that a straight line connecting the centers of the anode and the substrate is perpendicular to the deposition surface of the substrate where the carbon protective layer is to be formed. The center of the shield is also on the straight line.

Abstract: A method of forming a protective film for a magnetic recording medium is disclosed. The protective film suppresses cobalt elution out of the magnetic recording layer and has a thickness not larger than 3 nm. The method of the invention of forming a protective film for a magnetic recording medium comprises (1) a step of forming a protective film, on a lamination including a substrate and metallic film layers formed on the substrate, by means of a plasma CVD method using a raw gas of a hydrocarbon gas, wherein a flow rate of the hydrocarbon gas is in a range of 50 sccm to 200 sccm and a emission current is in a range of 0.1 A to 0.3 A, and (2) a step of surface treatment on the protective film that has been formed in the step (1), including sub-steps of (2a) a plasma treatment in an argon gas and (2b) a plasma treatment in a gas containing a nitrogen gas.