Kanaiyalal C. Patel

Bit-Patterned Magnetic Recording: Theory, Media Fabrication, and Recording Performance

Bit-patterned media (BPM) for magnetic recording provides a route to thermally stable data recording at >1 Tb/in2 and circumvents many of the challenges associated with extending conventional granular media technology. Instead of recording a bit on an ensemble of random grains, BPM comprises a well-ordered array of lithographically patterned isolated magnetic islands, each of which stores 1 bit. Fabrication of BPM is viewed as the greatest challenge for its commercialization. In this paper, we describe a BPM fabrication method that combines rotary-stage e-beam lithography, directed self-assembly of block copolymers, self-aligned double patterning, nanoimprint lithography, and ion milling to generate BPM based on CoCrPt alloy materials at densities up to 1.6 Td/in2. This combination of novel fabrication technologies achieves feature sizes of <;10 nm, which is significantly smaller than what conventional nanofabrication methods used in semiconductor manufacturing can achieve. In contrast to earlier work that used hexagonal arrays of round islands, our latest approach creates BPM with rectangular bit cells, which are advantageous for the integration of BPM with existing hard disk drive technology. The advantages of rectangular bits are analyzed from a theoretical and modeling point of view, and system integration requirements, such as provision of servo patterns, implementation of write synchronization, and providing for a stable head-disk interface, are addressed in the context of experimental results. Optimization of magnetic alloy materials for thermal stability, writeability, and tight switching field distribution is discussed, and a new method for growing BPM islands from a specially patterned underlayer-referred to as templated growth-is presented. New recording results at 1.6 Td/in2 (roughly equivalent to 1.3 Tb/in2) demonstrate a raw error rate <;10-2, which is consistent with the recording system requirements of modern hard drives. Extendibility of BPM to higher densities and its eventual combination with energy-assisted recording are explored.

Bit Patterned Media at 1 Tdot/in 2 and Beyond

Bit patterned media (BPM) provide an alternative to conventional granular thin film recording media, circumventing the challenges of managing grain size and its associated noise and thermal stability issues in granular media. A viable fabrication strategy involves creation of a master pattern by rotary-stage e-beam lithography and directed self-assembly of block copolymers, followed by pattern replication via UV-cure nanoimprint lithography and pattern transfer to a magnetic thin film by ion beam etching. These steps have been demonstrated for 150 Gdot/cm2 (1 Tdot/in2) hcp patterns, achieving a dot placement tolerance of 1.2 nm 1σ and a defect rate of <; 10-3. Media samples fabricated in this manner from continuous CoCrPt alloy films have achieved a 1σ switching field distribution of 4% of Hc. A 2T medium SNR of nearly 14 dB and a write bit error rate of 2 × 10-3 have been shown using a static tester with a conventional product read/write head. Modeling and experiment suggest that higher recording density can be achieved using BPM with a bit aspect ratio (BAR) >; 1. A master pattern generation generation strategy for BAR>; 1 with rectangular islands is shown using intersecting lines generated by directed self-assembly of lamellar block copolymers in combination with spacer-defined line doubling.

The Limits of Lamellae-Forming PS-b-PMMA Block Copolymers for Lithography

We explore the lithographic limits of lamellae-forming PS-b-PMMA block copolymers by performing directed self-assembly and pattern transfer on a range of PS-b-PMMA materials having a full pitch from 27 to 18.5 nm. While directed self-assembly on chemical contrast patterns was successful with all the materials used in this study, clean removal of PMMA domains and subsequent pattern transfer could only be sustained down to 22 nm full pitch. We attribute this limitation to the width of the interface, which may represent more than half of the domain width for materials with a critical dimension below 10 nm. With the limit of pattern transfer for PS-b-PMMA set at ∼11 nm, we propose an integration scheme suitable for bit patterned media for densities above 1.6 Tdot/in(2), which require features below this limit. Directed self-assembly was carried out on chemical contrast patterns made by a rotary e-beam lithography system, and pattern transfer was carried out to demonstrate fabrication of large area (up to 25 mm-wide annular band of circular tracks) nanoimprint templates for bit patterned media. We also demonstrate compatibility with hard disk drive architecture by fabricating patterns with skewed radial lines with constant angular pitch and with servo patterns that are needed in hard disk drives to generate a radial positional error signal (PES).

Image quality and pattern transfer in directed self assembly with block-selective atomic layer deposition

Self-assembled block copolymer patterns may render more robust masks for plasma etch transfer through block-selective infiltration with metal oxides, affording opportunities for improved high contrast, high fidelity pattern transfer for sub-15 nm lithography in wafer-scale processes. However, block selective infiltration alters the self-assembled block copolymer latent image by changing feature size, duty cycle, and sidewall profile. The authors systematically investigate the effects of aluminum oxide infiltration of 27 and 41 nm pitch line/space patterns formed using polystyrene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) block copolymers and evaluate the process compatibility with directed self assembly. The degree of image distortion depends on the amount of infiltrated material, with smaller amounts resulting in complete mask hardening and larger amounts shifting and collapsing pattern features. An attractive feature of the resulting oxide mask is the relatively smooth line edge roughness of the final transferred fea...

Fabrication of templates with rectangular bits on circular tracks by combining block copolymer directed self-assembly and nanoimprint lithography

Abstract. A block copolymer-directed self-assembly was combined with nanoimprint lithography to generate templates with rectangular patterns through an original double imprint process. A rotary e-beam tool was used to separately expose circumferential and radial line/space chemical contrast patterns with periodicities commensurate to the natural period of two lamellae-forming poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymers. Line patterns are formed by directed self-assembly of PS-b-PMMA on chemical patterns on two separate submaster templates, one with circumferential lines to define concentric tracks, and a second template on which the block copolymer is used to form radial lines at constant angular pitch. The patterns are subsequently transferred to their underlying Si substrates to form submaster templates. Using two sequential nanoimprinting steps, the radial and circumferential submaster line patterns were combined into a final quartz master template with rectangular bits on circular tracks.

Fabrication of chevron patterns for patterned media with block copolymer directed assembly

Advances in block copolymer directed assembly have highlighted the potential of block copolymer lithography to define patterned templates for magnetic recording bit patterned media (BPM). The naturally periodic features found in block copolymer films display superior size uniformity at ultrahigh densities, making them ideal lithographic masks to define the highly periodic data bits in the data sector of hard disk drives. In addition to the data bits, BPM architecture requires additional features to encode servo information. Because of the nature of the information stored in servo sectors, the geometry and shape of servo features differ from those in the data sectors, potentially compromising their compatibility with the features that can be naturally formed by block copolymers. The authors investigated the compatibility of a block copolymer directed assembly with the formation of complex chevron structures for sector header servo patterns within the framework of a BPM design that uses rectangular bits as ...