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Explore the technological advancements in thin film disks presented by Michael A. Russak, Ph.D., at the IDEMA Financial Conference. Learn about the challenges and solutions for increasing areal density, including the transition to perpendicular media design. Discover the implications on disk form factors for desktop, portable PC, and consumer electronics applications. Gain insights into the industry's outlook and market transitions in thin film disks.
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Technology Outlook and Market Transitions for Thin Film Disks Presented by Michael A. Russak, Ph.D., President and CTO Komag, Inc at The IDEMA Financial Conference Westin Hotel, Santa Clara, CA November 4, 2004
Ever Shrinking Bit Size Areal Density Bit size # Grains (size) 60 Gb/in2 2800 x 380 Å 170 (80Å) • Consequences of Shrinking Bit Size • Loss of Signal SNR must improve • Less grains/bit SNR must improve • More sensitive to defects • Thermal stability problems 90 Gb/in2 2000 x 365 Å 150 (70Å) 120 Gb/in2 1540 x 350 Å 128 (65Å)
Areal Density & Capacity vs. Time Long. AD Demo 135 Gb/in2 853 kbpi, 158 ktpi HAMR Patterned Perp. AD Demo 111Gb/in2 850 kbpi, 131 ktpi Areal Density (Gb/in2) Perpendicular SAF Conventional Year
Underlayer 2 Underlayer 1 Current Longitudinal Media Structure Comparison Synthetic Anti-Ferromagnetic Conventional Carbon Film Mag. 2 Carbon Film\ Mag. 2 Mag. 1 Mag 1 Ru Stabilizing Layer Nucleation Layer Underlayer 2 Underlayer 1 Conventional Longitudinal Media Design SAF Longitudinal Media Design
Challenges of SAF Media Manufacturing • Some capital expense to upgrade existing sputter equipment • Addition of more sputter chambers and/cathodes for additional layer deposition • Rebalance sputter throughputs • Very evolutionary process
Areal Density Trend 80 GB 60 GB 100 % 40 GB 30 GB 30 % 240 GB 120 GB 160 GB 100 GB 20 GB
Magnetic Spacing Budget GMR Head
A New Tribology Environment • Design implications: • Head-disk clearance improvement • A more particle tolerant interface • Magnetic design point must be selected to reduce Iwrequirement
CoCrPt-Oxide Perpendicular Media Structure Overcoat CoCrPtOHard Magnetic Layer (~15 nm) Inter-layers Ru (10 – 40 nm) Seed Layer Ru layer (AFC – coupled) Soft Magnetic Layer (100 – 200 nm) Substrate (AlMg or Glass)
Challenges for Perpendicular Media Manufacturing • More difficult than SAF evolution • Disparate film thickness, (SUL and multilayer magnetic structures), present throughput challenges • Approaches under consideration • Process development to accommodate existing equipment • Buy new equipment • Two tool strategy
Land-groove cross-section 60nm 250nm 550nm Discrete Track Recording (DTR) Technology
Carbon Magnetic layers 75 nm NiP Cross-sectional TEM: Close-up Longitudinal – Oriented Media
BF TEM Image of DTR Disk Perpendicular Media
Source: TrendFOCUS 2004 Rigid Disk Media Information System Total Media Market Forecast (000) by Size
Disk Form Factor Migrations • Desktop and Consumer Electronics (CE) • 95 mm Diameter is the mainstay of desktop computer and large capacity CE applications • Exclusively AlMg media with micro-actuators for heads and/or increased thickness to deal with TMR issues
Disk Form Factor Migrations • Portable PC Applications • 65 mm Diameter; Mainstay of portable PC applications • Exclusively glass based media • AlMg may be lurking • 48 mm based HDD gaining some traction in mini-portable PC applications
Disk Form Factor Migrations • 48 mm: I-pod & Mini Portable PCs • Exclusively glass based media • AlMg may be lurking • 27 mm: Mini-I-pod, Cameras, etc. • Exclusively glass based media • 21 mm: Cell phones and smaller consumer application • Exclusively glass based media
Summary & Conclusions • While Areal Density Growth Rate has slowed, technology remains extendable and viable • The physics of recording remains the same • Extend longitudinal recording • Enable perpendicular recording • Discreet track and/or patterned media • Mechanical tolerances and requirements have become much more demanding.