Magnetic Disk Medium With Designed Textured Surfaces and Controlled Surface Roughness and Method of Producing Same

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a magnetic disk medium and a method of producing same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Magnetic disk drives, as used for mass data storage in computers and electronic systems today comprise either rigid ("hard") disk drives or flexible ("floppy") drives. Both types of drives incorporate low cost data storage capacity with rapid recovery of stored data. This rapid availability of stored data is a function of the rotational speed of the disk relative to the read/write transducer as well as the proximity of the transducer to the magnetic medium. In practice, a read/write transducer is mounted in a head assembly that accurately follows the surface of a disk at flying heights of less than 1 micron. In particular, the head suspension assemblies are designed to prevent contact between the read/write head and the magnetic recording medium during operation; such contact, called head "crash", can destroy a read/write head and the magnetic medium in a short time due to the friction that results from the high rotational speed of the disk relative to the head. Current technology for lubrication and protective layers on the disk is basically intended to compensate only for transient friction events during stop/start cycles.

In general, control of the texture characteristics of the disk surface is required to reduce the substantial attractive forces that are generated between the read/write head and the stationary disk surface. Smoother disk surface textures result in higher attractive forces that prevent proper head liftoff and flying characteristics when disk rotation is commenced. Current disk manufacturing techniques must also assure that the disk surface roughness does not exceed certain upper-bound values; if excessive surface roughness results from the texturing process, undesirable increases in flying height (H.sub.0) also limit the density with which data can be stored on the disk. The central issue in current disk texturing processes is the reliability and consistency with which the desired surface roughness is obtained. The disk surface texture is typically characterized in terms of an arithmetic average roughness value (R.sub.a). Current disk texturing processes generally produce R.sub.a values in the range of 10-200 nm; the most modern disk drives achieve head flying heights of 0.2-0.3 microns with R.sub.a values of approximately 10-50 nm. These texturing processes utilize special abrasives for producing circumferential patterns of scratches on the surface of metallic (predominantly aluminum) disk substrates. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,996,622, 4,939,614 and 4,931,338 describe variations of this general process. Several of these patents propose different textures for separate areas of the disk optimized for stop/start operations and for read/write operations. These patents document the difficulty of obtaining low flying heights (H.sub.0 less than 0.3 microns) while simultaneously achieving acceptably low head/disk attractive forces with current disk texturing processes.

Other texturing processes combine abrasive texturing processes with chemical processes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,306 describes a recording disk produced by subjecting a base plate containing S.sub.i O.sub.2 --Li.sub.2 O--A1.sub.2 O.sub.3 series crystallized glass to crystallizing treatment, polishing the surface of the base plate to attain a surface roughness of 15 .ANG. to 50 .ANG. to evenly distribute, regularly and two-dimensionally, very fine and uniform crystal grains in the amorphous layer. The base plate is then etched with an etchant having different degrees of dissolution with respect to the crystal grains and the amorphous layer to form uniform and regular convexities and concavities on the surface of the base plate. A magnetic film and a protective layer are applied over the base plate. Because the system described in this patent relies on an abrasive texturing process for distributing crystal grains, there is an inevitable randomness to the ultimate distribution of concavities and convexities.

The trend toward smaller diameter disks has also presented difficulties for prior-art manufacturing techniques. It has become progressively more difficult to achieve the required consistency in R.sub.a values and in disk flatness with decreasing disk diameter using conventional methods. Disk flatness variations cause axial runout of the read/write head during disk rotation. In current disk drives it is desirable to maintain this axial runout value at less than 1-2 microns. Conventional abrasive texturing techniques applied to current metallic disk substrates are becoming less viable as disk diameters are progressing downwards.

The present invention, generally speaking, provides a magnetic disk medium that contacts a magnetic head with a low coefficient of friction, provides smooth and stable travel performance in conjunction with a magnetic head for prolonged periods of time, has improved wear resistance in use and stability in storage environments, and is capable of consistent reproduction. In practice, a magnetic disk medium according to the present invention optimizes operational conditions in a system for reading information stored on the magnetic disk medium. Surface roughness characteristics of the magnetic disk medium are controlled by processes generally associated with the shaping of layers in semiconductor chip products. Information storage density characteristics of the magnetic disk medium may be raised to the greatest extent readable by a magnetic head of a magnetic disk apparatus, the readable density being limited by operational conditions controlled through optimization of surface roughness characteristics of the magnetic disk medium of the present invention.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a substrate for a magnetic disk medium has a designed topography etched into the surface of the substrate, and a magnetic film and a protective layer are deposited on the surface of the substrate. The magnetic disk medium of the invention has a surface roughness that is determined by the designed topography and the etching and deposition process.

A magnetic disk medium according to the present invention can be manufactured by a method that employs the steps of transferring a designed pattern onto a substrate, developing the pattern onto the substrate, etching the developed pattern into the substrate by controlling the process for etching, applying a thin film magnetic recording medium over the etched pattern, and applying a protective coating over the thin film magnetic recording medium.

A system for reading information stored on a magnetic disk medium includes a magnetic disk medium as described above. The system further includes a magnetic disk apparatus that has a magnetic head that is suspended relative to the magnetic disk medium at a first distance. The magnetic disk apparatus rotates the magnetic disk medium at a predetermined speed. The designed topography and etching and deposition conditions of the magnetic disk medium are established to optimize aerodynamic effects created by rotation of the magnetic disk medium at the predetermined speed and are further established to minimize transient friction events relating to the magnetic disk medium and the magnetic head of the magnetic disk apparatus during starting and stopping of magnetic disk medium rotation.

The magnetic disk medium of the present invention is textured without relying on known abrasive techniques. The texturing is controlled, and is therefor less susceptible to random variations of known texturing methods. There is, consequently, a consistently reproduced disk manufactured with the above method. The disk produced by such a method is capable of storing information with a greater density than known disks because the flying height of a magnetic head can be set at a known, lower height than in systems using disks manufactured by known methods, and transient friction events are minimized.

The present invention can be further understood with reference to the following description in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a magnetic disk medium of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a magnetic disk with a magnetic thin film;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a substrate of a magnetic disk medium;

FIG. 4 reflects the arrangement of square shapes of a pattern design of an embodiment of a magnetic disk medium of the present invention;

FIG. 5 reflects the arrangement of hexagonal shapes of a pattern design of an embodiment of a magnetic disk medium of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a system for reading information stored on a magnetic disk medium according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a magnetic disk medium 1 includes a substrate 2 having a chemically etchable glass layer 2a over a ceramic disk 2b. The substrate materials are well known in the art. The substrate, however, is formed to include a specific topography 6, one embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 3. The topography 6 includes a series of regular protrusions 7. The topography 6 is formed in the substrate 2 by a process for controlling the shape and size of the protrusions 7 which will be described more fully ahead. FIG. 1 further shows a magnetic recording medium 3 provided over the surface 5 of the substrate 2 and a protective coating 4 provided over the magnetic recording medium 3. The magnetic recording medium 3 and the protective coating 4 are both well known in the art. The magnetic recording medium 3 may, for instance, be a high density magnetic recording medium such as Co-Cr or Co-Ni, and the protective coating 4 may be, for example, a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) material.

The magnetic disk medium 1 described above thus has a surface 8 that has an R.sub.a that is a function of the manner by which the aforementioned process for controlling the size and shape of the protrusions 7 is controlled by the extent of the deposition and the protective coating on the surface 5 of substrate 2. When such a magnetic disk medium 1 is rotated at a predetermined speed in a magnetic disk apparatus, a particular range of R.sub.a values will cause aerodynamic effects at the surface 8 of the magnetic disk medium 1 that are characteristic of that range of R.sub.a values. The magnetic disk medium is produced by controlling the aforementioned process for controlling the shape and size of protrusions 7 the protective coating, and the magnetic disk medium has an R.sub.a value that falls within a range of R.sub.a values known for the parameters controlled. Aerodynamic effects at the surface 8 of the magnetic disk medium 1 are, therefore, predictable. In addition, the surface 8 has coefficients of friction C.sub.f in contact with other materials that are functions of the same parameters controlled for controlling the R.sub.a value.

The magnetic disk medium 1 of FIG. 1 is produced by a method whereby a pattern, two embodiments of which are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, is designed and generated, the pattern corresponding to the shapes and sizes of protrusions. The pattern is then transferred onto the substrate 1 by known methods, such as by contact or projection methods. The pattern is developed onto the surface 5 of the substrate 2. The developed pattern is then etched into the substrate 2. The dimensions of the concavities 9 etched into the surface are, in part, determined by the parameters established for the etching process. A thin film magnetic recording medium 3 is applied over the topography 6 created on the surface 5 of the substrate 2. A protective coating 4 is applied over the thin film magnetic recording medium 3. The parameters of the method described are controlled to produce repeatable R.sub.a values on surfaces 8 of magnetic disk media.

In another embodiment of the method described above, a pattern that is designed and generated establishes a code for the establishment of track identification. One embodiment of the substrate 2 produced by such a method is shown in FIG. 2. The pattern generated in this embodiment includes a series of topographic shapes that identify tracks that are transferred onto the substrate, developed on the substrate, and etched into surface 5 of the substrate 2.

The methods for producing a magnetic disk medium 1 are controlled to have an R.sub.a value and, in conjunction with the surface of a magnetic head of a magnetic disk apparatus such a is shown schematically in FIG. 6, a C.sub.f that are known to optimize operating conditions in a system for reading information stored on the magnetic disk medium 1. In the magnetic disk apparatus 21 shown in FIG. 6, which includes means 23 for rotating the magnetic disk medium 1 at a predetermined rotational speed, a magnetic head 25 is suspended, in a stopped condition, on the surface 8 of the magnetic disk medium 1. The magnetic head 25 is suspended by suspension means 27 such as a known suspension arm. The R.sub.a and the C.sub.f are selected to optimize operation conditions. The R.sub.a is selected to produce known aerodynamic effects at the surface 8 of the magnetic disk medium 1 to establish a low flying height of the magnetic head when the magnetic disk medium is rotating at the predetermined rotational speed. The C.sub.f is selected to minimize attractive forces between the magnetic disk medium 1 and the magnetic head 25 during starting and stopping of rotation. The above-described system permits the use of a magnetic recording medium of high coercivity and, therefor, high information storage density because magnetic head flying heights are minimized.

The foregoing has described the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention. However, the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments discussed. Instead, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and it should be appreciated that variations may be made in those embodiments by workers skilled in the art without departing from the scope of present invention as defined by the following claims.