Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium

Abstract

Provided is a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium that has a concavo-convex patterned recording layer, sufficient flatness, and excellent recording/reproducing properties. A filling material is deposited over a workpiece including a substrate; a recording layer formed over the substrate in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern of which convex portions are recording elements; and a detection material formed over the recording elements. Process gas is irradiated to the surface to remove a portion of the filling material and the detection material to flatten the surface. An element contained in the detection material removed and flying off is detected on the basis of its atomic mass number. The irradiation of the process gas is then stopped according to the detection result. The detection material contains an element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the structure of a starting body of a workpiece according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a structure of a magnetic recording medium which is obtained by processing the workpiece;

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart showing an outline of manufacturing steps of the magnetic recording medium;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a concavo-convex pattern transferred on a resist layer of the starting body of the workpiece;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the workpiece with a detection material deposited thereon;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the workpiece with a filling material deposited thereon;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the workpiece with a detection material over recording elements etched in a flattening step;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a workpiece with detection material according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the detection materials being deposited only over recording elements;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the workpiece with the detection material over the recording elements etched in a flattening step;

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a workpiece with a detection material deposited thereon according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the workpiece with a second filling material deposited thereon;

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the workpiece with the detection material over recording elements etched in a flattening step; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the workpiece with the detection material over concave portions etched in the flattening step.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, comprising: a filling material deposition step of depositing a filling material over a workpiece including a substrate, a recording layer formed over the substrate in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern of which convex portions are recording elements, and a detection material formed at least over the recording elements to fill concave portions between the recording elements with the filling material;a flattening step of irradiating a surface of the workpiece with process gas to remove at least a portion of the filling material and a portion of the detection material which are above a top surface of the recording elements to flatten the surface of the workpiece, and detecting an element contained in the detection material removed from and flying off the workpiece on the basis of its atomic mass number, and stopping irradiation with the process gas on the basis of a result of detection of the element contained in the detection material,wherein the filling material deposition step and the flattening step being carried out in this order,and the detection material contains an element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

2. A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, comprising: a second filling material deposition step of depositing a second filling material over a workpiece including a substrate, a recording layer formed over the substrate in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern of which convex portions are recording elements, a first filling material formed over the recording layer to at least partially fill concave portions between the recording elements, and a detection material formed over the first filling material;a flattening step of irradiating a surface of the workpiece with process gas to remove at least a portion of any of the first filling material, the detection material, and the second filling material, the portion being above a top surface of the recording elements, to flatten the surface of the workpiece, detecting an element contained in the detection material removed from and flying off the workpiece on the basis of its atomic mass number, and stopping irradiation with the process gas on the basis of a result of detection of the element contained in the detection material,wherein the second filling material deposition step and the flattening step being carried out in this order,and the detection material contains an element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

3. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, wherein a non-oxide material is deposited at least over the recording elements of the recording layer to form the detection material, and the filling material is made of an oxide material.

4. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 2, wherein a non-oxide material is deposited over the first filling material to form the detection material, and at least one of the first filling material and the second filling material is made of an oxide material.

5. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the detection material is formed by depositing a material containing an oxide of an element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

6. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 2, wherein the detection material is formed by depositing a material containing an oxide of an element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

7. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, wherein a metal element contained in the detection material is only one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

8. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 2, wherein a metal element contained in the detection material is only one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

9. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 3, wherein a metal element contained in the detection material is only one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

10. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 4, wherein a metal element contained in the detection material is only one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

11. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 5, wherein a metal element contained in the detection material is only one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

12. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 6, wherein a metal element contained in the detection material is only one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, rhodium, silver, terbium, tantalum, gold, bismuth, titanium, indium, and tungsten.

13. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, wherein in the flattening step, the element contained in the detection material is detected on the basis of the atomic mass number of the element by one of secondary ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectroscopy.

14. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 2, wherein in the flattening step, the element contained in the detection material is detected on the basis of the atomic mass number of the element by one of secondary ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectroscopy.

15. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 3, wherein in the flattening step, the element contained in the detection material is detected on the basis of the atomic mass number of the element by one of secondary ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectroscopy.

16. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 4, wherein in the flattening step, the element contained in the detection material is detected on the basis of the atomic mass number of the element by one of secondary ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectroscopy.

17. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 5, wherein in the flattening step, the element contained in the detection material is detected on the basis of the atomic mass number of the element by one of secondary ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectroscopy.

18. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 6, wherein in the flattening step, the element contained in the detection material is detected on the basis of the atomic mass number of the element by one of secondary ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectroscopy.

19. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 7, wherein in the flattening step, the element contained in the detection material is detected on the basis of the atomic mass number of the element by one of secondary ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectroscopy.

20. The method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium according to claim 8, wherein in the flattening step, the element contained in the detection material is detected on the basis of the atomic mass number of the element by one of secondary ion mass spectrometry and quadrupole mass spectroscopy.