Textured data storage disk having a brittle nonmetallic substrate

US6246543A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Peter Michael Baumgart · San Diego, US
• Wing P. Leung · Arcadia, US
• Hung Nguyen · San Jose, US
• Thao A. Nguyen · San Jose, US
• Andrew Ching Tam · Saratoga, US
• Anthony W. Wu · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 17, 1996
• Grant date: Jun 12, 2001
• Expiry date: Sep 17, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B23K2103/52
• WIPO field: Machine tools
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A magnetic recording disk with a glass substrate is textured by a process which creates an array of bumps in a magnetic head contact start and stop (CSS) region of the disk. The texturing process uses a laser to provide pulses of predetermined energy fluence on the glass substrate to produce a plurality of raised bumps in the substrate surface, each bump having a surface elevation controllable to within a few nanometers. The bumps are created without unwanted micro-cracking or ejection of surface material by exploiting a narrow operating region below the abrupt thermal shock fluence threshold of the glass substrate. This textured glass substrate provides the magnetic recording disk with improved stiction, wear, coatability and sensor flying height properties.