Target shields for improved magnetic properties of a recording medium
US6482301B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 4, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 19, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 4, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J37/3447
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A collimator system is disclosed for use in an in-line pass-by sputtering system during the fabrication of recording media to improve the data storage density and read/write performance characteristics of the media. The collimator system includes a collimator shield and a collimator honeycomb. The shield includes a rectangular tube having a flange and a frame at inner and outer ends, respectively. The various components of the shield in part serve to prevent possible contamination of substrates due to target atom accumulation on the chamber walls during the sputtering process. The collimator honeycomb is provided for blocking target atoms from contacting the substrate at low incident angles. The collimator honeycomb is comprised of a plurality of collimators which are identical to each other. In a preferred embodiment, the collimators have a hexagonal cross-section taken from a perspective perpendicular to the substrate. The collimators may also have other geometric shapes. It is also contemplated that more than one collimator honeycomb level be used in alternative embodiments.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.