Energy gradient ion beam deposition of carbon overcoats on rigid disk media for magnetic recordings

• Main Authors: WHITE RICHARD L, POCKER DARYL J, THIELE JAN-ULRICH, YEN BING K
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.03.2006
• Subjects: CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; INFORMATION STORAGE; INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORDCARRIER AND TRANSDUCER; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; PHYSICS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

The fabrication of the overcoat layer starts with a low energy ion beam to avoid magnetic layer implantation problems, followed by higher deposition energies where the higher energy atoms are implanted into the previously formed lower energy overcoat layer, rather than the magnetic layer. The energy gradient ion beam deposition process therefore results in a thin overcoat layer that is denser than a comparable layer formed by low energy magnetron sputtering, and which overcoat layer provides good mechanical and corrosion protection to the magnetic layer, without degrading the magnetic properties of the magnetic layer.