Method for making magnetic storage having discrete elements with quantized magnetic moments

A method of fabricating a magnetic storage medium, comprising:

• obtaining a non-magnetic substrate;
• depositing a plating base on the substrate;
• forming a mask layer on the plating base, the mask layer having discrete separated mask openings to the plating layer;
• and
• plating pillars of a magnetic material in the mask openings to the plating layer, the pillars forming a plurality of discrete single-magnetic-domain elements having a preferred-shape anisotropy, spacing and dimension wherein the single-magnetic-domain elements have two quantized magnetization values of differing vector directions and substantially equal vector magnitude, and which are separated to a spacing large enough that interaction between neighboring single-magnetic-domain elements is either greatly reduced or eliminated.

A method of fabricating a magnetic storage medium, comprising:

• obtaining a non-magnetic substrate;
• depositing a plating base on the substrate;
• forming a mask layer on the plating base, the mask layer having discrete separated mask openings to the plating layer, the openings having predetermined locations;
• and
• plating pillars of a magnetic material in the mask openings to the plating layer, the pillars forming a plurality of discrete single-magnetic-domain elements having a preferred-shape anisotropy, spacing and dimension wherein the single-magnetic-domain elements have two quantized magnetization values of differing vector directions and substantially equal vector magnitude, and which are separated to a spacing large enough that interaction between neighboring single-magnetic-domain elements is either greatly reduced or eliminated;
• wherein the magnetic material comprises nickel;
• and
• wherein the step of forming a mask layer on the plating base comprises the steps of:
• forming a layer of SiO.sub.2 above the plating layer;
• forming a layer of chrome above the SiO.sub.2 layer;
• forming an etch-mask layer above the chrome layer, the etch mask layer having holes through to the chrome layer;
• subjecting the chrome layer to a chrome etch to form vias therethrough;
• extending the vias through the SiO.sub.2 layer using a reactive ion etching technique or ion milling;
• and
• removing the etch-mask and chrome layers.

A method of fabricating a magnetic storage medium, comprising:

• obtaining a non-magnetic substrate;
• depositing a polymer layer on the substrate;
• imprinting the polymer layer with a pillar mold to form a plurality of discrete separated pillar cavities in the polymer layer;
• and
• depositing a magnetic material in the pillar openings to form pillars, the pillars being discrete single-magnetic-domain elements having an anisotropic shape, spacing and dimension wherein the single-magnetic-domain elements have two quantized magnetization values of differing vector directions and substantially equal vector magnitude, and which are separated to a spacing large enough that interaction between neighboring single-magnetic-domain elements is either greatly reduced or eliminated.