Magnetic media patterning via contact printing utilizing stamper having magnetic pattern formed in non-magnetic substrate

Abstract

A stamper/imprinter for use in forming a magnetic transition pattern in a magnetic material by means of contact printing, comprising: (a) a non-magnetic substrate having a major surface comprising a patterned plurality of spaced-apart recesses with a plurality of non-recessed areas therebetween, the patterned plurality of recesses corresponding to the magnetic transition pattern to be formed in the magnetic material; and (b) unidirectionally permanently magnetized material filling each of the plurality of recesses and having exposed surfaces substantially coplanar with the plurality of non-recessed areas.

1 : A method of manufacturing a stamper/imprinter for use in forming a magnetic transition pattern in a magnetic material by means of contact printing, comprising sequential steps of: 
 (a) providing a non-magnetic substrate having a major surface comprising a patterned plurality of spaced-apart recesses with a plurality of non-recessed areas therebetween, said patterned plurality of recesses corresponding to said magnetic transition pattern to be formed in said magnetic material;    (b) forming a blanket layer of a permanently magnetizable material on said substrate surface, said blanket layer overfilling said plurality of recesses and covering said non-recessed areas;    (c) removing portions of said blanket layer covering said plurality of non-recessed areas of said substrate surface and rendering exposed upper portions of said blanket layer filling said plurality of recesses substantially coplanar with said plurality of non-recessed areas; and    (d) unidirectionally permanently magnetizing said permanently magnetizable material filling said plurality of recesses by applying a unidirectionally aligned external magnetic field to said substrate to magnetize said permanently magnetizable material in a direction perpendicular to said major surface of said substrate.    
     
     
         2 : The method as in  claim 1 , wherein step (a) comprises sequential antecedent steps of: 
 (a 1 ) providing a non-magnetic substrate having a flat planar major surface;    (a 2 ) forming a layer of a resist material on said substrate surface;    (a 3 ) patterning said resist layer to form a patterned resist layer comprising a patterned plurality of openings therein exposing selected portions of said substrate surface, said patterned plurality of openings corresponding to said magnetic transition pattern to be formed in said magnetic material;    (a 4 ) selectively forming a patterned plurality of recesses in said substrate surface utilizing said patterned resist layer as a mask, said patterned plurality of recesses corresponding to said magnetic transition pattern to be formed in said magnetic material; and    (a 5 ) removing said resist layer.    
     
     
         3 : The method as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 step (a) comprises providing a non-magnetic substrate consisting essentially of comprises a non-magnetic material selected from the group consisting of: metals, metal alloys, semiconductors, ceramics, glass, glass-ceramics, polymers, and composites or laminates of the aforementioned materials.    
     
     
         4 : The method as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 step (a) comprises providing a non-magnetic substrate having a major surface comprising a plurality of spaced-apart recesses corresponding to a servo pattern to be formed in said magnetic material.    
     
     
         5 : The method as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 step (b) comprises forming a blanket layer of a permanently magnetizable material selected from the group consisting of: FeOBa, FeOSr, SmCo, NdFeB, CoCr, CoCrB, and AlNiCo.    
     
     
         6 : The method as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 step (c) comprises planarizing said blanket layer of permanently magnetizable material by means of chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP).    
     
     
         7 - 9 . (canceled)  
     
     
         10 : A stamper/imprinter for use in forming a magnetic transition pattern in a magnetic material by means of contact printing, comprising: 
 (a) a non-magnetic substrate having a major surface comprising a patterned plurality of spaced-apart recesses with a plurality of non-recessed areas therebetween, said patterned plurality of recesses corresponding to said magnetic transition pattern to be formed in said magnetic material; and    (b) unidirectionally permanently magnetized material filling each of said plurality of recesses and having exposed surfaces substantially coplanar with said plurality of non-recessed areas, wherein said unidirectionally permanently magnetized material is magnetized in a direction perpendicular to said major surface of said substrate.    
     
     
         11 : The stamper/imprinter according to  claim 10 , wherein: 
 said non-magnetic substrate comprises a non-magnetic material selected from the group consisting of: metals, metal alloys, semiconductors, ceramics, glass, glass-ceramics, polymers, and composites or laminates of the aforementioned materials.    
     
     
         12 : The stamper/imprinter according to  claim 10 , wherein: 
 said patterned plurality of spaced-apart recesses corresponds to a servo pattern to be formed in said magnetic material.    
     
     
         13 : The stamper/imprinter according to  claim 10 , wherein: 
 said unidirectionally permanently magnetized material filling each of said recesses is selected from the group consisting of: FeOBa, FeOSr, SmCo, NdFeB, CoCr, CoCrB, and Alnicos.    
     
     
         14 - 20 . (canceled)  
     
     
         21 : The stamper/imprinter according to  claim 10 , wherein: 
 a width of said spaced-apart recesses is in the range of from about 0.01 to about 1 μm.    
     
     
         22 : The stamper/imprinter according to  claim 10 , wherein: 
 a width of said non-recessed areas are is least about 0.01 μm.    
     
     
         23 : The stamper/imprinter according to  claim 10 , wherein: 
 said permanently magnetizable material has a coercivity in the range of from about 0.4 to about 13 kOe.    
     
     
         24 : The method as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a width of said spaced-apart recesses is in the range of from about 0.01 to about 1 μm.    
     
     
         25 : The method as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a width of said non-recessed areas is at least about 0.01 μm.    
     
     
         26 : The method as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the blanket layer is formed by electroplating, physical vapor deposition, vacuum evaporation, sputtering, ion plating, chemical vapor deposition, or combinations thereof.    
     
     
         27 : The method as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 step (a 4 ) comprises forming said plurality of recesses by reactive plasma, ion beam, or sputter etching.    
     
     
         28 : The method as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 step (a 5 ) comprises removing said resist layer by plasma ashing.