Magnetic Recording Medium Active Material Layer Gettering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional getter pump technologies in magnetic recording medium manufacturing face spatial constraints and degradation of magnetic properties due to active material accumulation, leading to increased maintenance and reduced productivity.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a film-forming equipment with multiple independent chambers, where an active material layer and magnetic recording layer are formed with a gate open between chambers, using materials like Ti, Cr, Mn, or Si to effectively remove impurity gases and improve the quality of the magnetic recording layer without deteriorating its characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional getter pump is used to remove impurity gas, then impurity gas can be absorbed, but active material accumulates on the substrate causing degradation of magnetic properties
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum chamber is divided into multiple independent chambers (first chamber for active material layer formation, second chamber for magnetic recording layer formation) separated by a gate. This segmentation allows the active material to be confined to its designated chamber, preventing accumulation on the magnetic recording layer substrate while still enabling impurity gas removal in each chamber independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate serves as an intermediary between the first and second chambers. It controls the flow between chambers and acts as a barrier to prevent active material from migrating to the magnetic recording layer chamber, thereby eliminating the harmful accumulation effect while maintaining vacuum integrity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a shield plate with absorption film is used to prevent active material accumulation, then magnetic properties are maintained, but spatial constraints and maintenance complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a shield plate within a single chamber, the system segments the vacuum space into multiple chambers. This eliminates the need for shield plates and their associated spatial constraints, while still achieving the goal of preventing active material accumulation through physical separation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple independent chambers are used with gate open, then active material accumulation is prevented, but equipment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each chamber is designed to be multi-functional: the first chamber serves both as a vacuum chamber for active material deposition and as a getter pump chamber for impurity gas removal. The second chamber serves as both the magnetic recording layer formation chamber and a protected zone. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, offsetting the complexity of the multi-chamber configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the formation of high-quality magnetic recording layers with improved electromagnetic conversion characteristics at lower costs, reducing crystalline orientation dispersion and maintaining excellent magnetic properties.
Implementation Method 1
there is proposed a getter pump for absorbing impurity gas inside a vacuum chamber of a vacuum deposition equipment by using an active material such as Ti
Implementation Method 2
A magnetic recording layer is generally formed using a vacuum deposition equipment such as a sputtering/deposition/CVD equipment
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium includes reducing and eliminating impurity gas present in a chamber. A magnetic recording layer is formed and an active material layer is also formed immediately below or immediately above the magnetic recording layer in respective chambers. The active material layer is formed in the same chamber or with a gate opened between the magnetic recording layer chamber and the active material layer chamber.