Glass substrate for magnetic disk and manufacturing method thereof

A manufacturing method of glass substrate for a magnetic disk, the method comprising:

• operating a cutting unit to cut molten glass flowing out from a molten glass outflow port to form a lump of the molten glass that is separated from the molten glass flowing out from the molten glass outflow port;
• after the operating the cutting unit, operating a first die and a second die to move horizontally toward each other to form a sheet glass material by performing press forming from both sides of a falling path of the lump as the lump is falling to catch and spread the lump along an inner circumferential surface of the first die and an inner circumferential surface of the second die, and maintaining the first die and the second die proximate to each other to retain the lump spread along the inner circumferential surface of the first die and the inner circumferential surface of the second die until the lump is cooled to become the sheet glass material, such that the sheet glass material has a surface irregularity in which roughness of the principal surface ranged from 0.01 μm to 10 μm and an optical property in which a haze rate is 20% or more;
• grinding the principal surface of the sheet glass material using a fixed abrasive grain;
• and
• polishing the sheet glass material using a loose abrasive grain, such that the sheet glass material is polished into the glass substrate including a principal surface having a target flatness for the magnetic disk.

A manufacturing method of a glass substrate for a magnetic disk, the method comprising:

• cutting molten glass flowing out from a molten glass outflow port into a cut lump using a cutting unit, such that the cut lump falls along a lump falling path;
• sandwiching, after cutting the molten glass, the cut lump between a first die including a first inner circumferential surface and a second die including a second inner circumferential surface while the cut lump falls along the lump falling path, the first die and the second die facing each other horizontally, the cut lump being caught and spread along the first inner circumferential surface and the second inner circumferential surface;
• keeping the first die and the second die in close contact until the cut lump spread along the first inner circumferential surface and the second inner circumferential surface is cooled to form a sheet glass material including a principal surface, such that the sheet glass material has a surface shape to be ground using a fixed abrasive grain;
• grinding the principal surface of the sheet glass material using the fixed abrasive grain;
• and
• polishing the sheet glass material using a loose abrasive grain, such that the sheet glass material is polished into the glass substrate including a principal surface having a target flatness for the magnetic disk.