Patent · US Expired

Laser illuminator and optical system for disk patterning

US6037565A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
16References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 17, 1996
Grant dateMar 14, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 17, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B5/84
  • WIPO fieldMachine tools
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

Magnetic recording media are textured over areas designated for contact in order to minimize friction with data transducing heads. In fabricating a hard disk, an aluminum nickel-phosphorous substrate is polished to a specular finish. A mechanical means is then used to roughen an annular area intended to be the head contact band. An optical and mechanical system allows thousands of spots to be generated with each laser pulse, allowing the textured pattern to be rapidly generated with a low repetition rate laser and an uncomplicated mechanical system. The system uses a low power laser, a beam expander, a specially designed phase plate, a prism to deflect the beam, a lens to transmit the diffraction pattern to the far field, a mechanical means to rotate the pattern and a trigger system to fire the laser when sections of the pattern are precisely aligned. The system generates an annular segment of the desired pattern with which the total pattern is generated by rotating the optical system about its optic axis, sensing the rotational position and firing the laser as the annular segment rotates into the next appropriate position. This marking system can be integrated into a disk sputteri…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.