INSIGHT to data storage — trends, technologies, products Summer 2002 Published by IDEMA®—the trade association for the data storage industry

DISKCON USA special preview issue

Full technical conference information and registration card inside!

insideinsidewhat’s 66 DISKCON USA Preview The Future of Optical Discs: 1818 Choosing a Winner 2222 Secure Erase of Disk Drive Data Critical Dimension Metrology for Next 2626 Generation Thin-Film Recording Head Processes ULTRASONICS Eliminate Damage To Sensitive Parts...

Use Ceramically Enhanced Ultrasonics to Achieve .1 Submicron Cleanliness

CREST ULTRASONICS SCOTCH ROAD • PO BOX 7266 • TRENTON, NJ 08628 • PHONE: 609-883-4000 • FAX: 609-883-6452 www.crest-ultrasonics.com contents Mark Geenen—President Storage, The Ultimate Technology—the theme for the DISKCON USA 2002 Trade Show and Technical Conference. IDEMA is 6 pleased to welcome you to DISKCON, the world’s only series of DISKCON USA Preview trade shows that is tailored to the HDD industry. Please join us for what promises to be a compelling week of exhibits, new products, technical sessions, standards meetings, and networking. 18 Here are some of the highlights of what you can enjoy The Future of Optical September 16-19 in San Jose: Discs: Choosing a Winner DISKCON trade show: The DISKCON USA trade show is the largest assemblage of exhibitors with products and technologies designed specifically for the HDD industry. Key technologies and 22 equipment that foster our industry’s meteoric improvement in areal density and Secure Erase of Disk Drive Data performance are first seen at DISKCON. Attending the show guarantees that you will be completely up to speed on the industry’s infrastructure. 26 Technical Conference: This year’s Technical Conference features perhaps the best group Critical Dimension of speakers and topics ever offered by IDEMA. Leading Wall Street analysts will give the Metrology for Next straight scoop on how investors view our industry, and when we can expect an upturn in Generation Thin-Film stock prices. "Beyond Magnetic Storage" will feature some of the world’s top academics Recording Head in the field of storage. Sessions on Intermag highlights, HDD design, mobile and Processes consumer storage, and network storage will both educate and inform you. Don’t miss this cost-effective, world-class conference. CEO Kickoff: All the leading HDD companies support IDEMA’s evolving strategy. Bill Watkins of Seagate, Mike Cannon of Maxtor, Matt Massengill of , Doug Grose of IBM, Ichiro Komura of Fujitsu, Wayne Fortun of Hutchinson Technology, Ed Braun of Veeco Instruments, and John Dean of Salomon Smith Barney–the HDD industry’s All Star Team—will kick off the DISKCON USA 2002 show with a fast-paced, compelling panel discussion on our industry and IDEMA’s future role. It is safe to say that this session will be a highlight long remembered. Keynote Dinner: One of the prime networking events of the DISKCON week is the Keynote Dinner. This year Matt Massengill, Chairman and CEO of a resurgent Western Digital, is our featured speaker. Mr. Massengill will discuss not only the turnaround at WD, but also the bright future for our industry. He is also one of the more entertaining public speakers in the HDD business, so this is a "can’t miss" event. Charity Golf Tournament: For the seventh consecutive year, IDEMA will host the Mark Geenen Technology for Youth Charity Golf Tournament. This year, the event moves to Coyote Creek Golf Club, a feature stop on the Senior PGA Tour. Not only is the course a challenge for low handicappers, but also it is a pleasure to play for recreational golfers. We are teaming up once again with Ronnie Lott’s All Stars Helping Kids organization. We had a tremendous event in 2001, and this year’s will be even better with a new playing format, a silent auction, and a LIVE auction that promises to be highly entertaining. The charity golf tournament is the perfect opportunity to entertain customers or to treat your colleagues. Reflecting our dynamic industry, IDEMA is adopting a new strategy that is bound to have far-reaching effects on the disk drive business. DISKCON USA 2002 is a launch point for this new strategy, so you don’t want to miss a single event. See you at DISKCON 2002 in San Jose!

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 3 INSIGHT Editor IDEMA—U.S. Board of Directors—U.S. Board of Directors—Japan Sally Bryant 3255 Scott Boulevard Gerard “Tex” Schenkkan, Maxtor Tsuneo Suganuma—Chair [email protected] Suite 2-102, Santa Clara, CA Rich Rutledge, Western Digital Hitachi, Ltd. 408.330.8106 95054-3013 USA Phone: 408.330.8100 Dave Wickersham, Seagate Akira Kakehi—Co-Chair Fujitsu, Ltd. Creative Director Fax: 408.492.1425 Technology Mike Russak, Komag Shun Kaneko—Director Emeritus Christine Carrig Japan Corporation Sally Bryant, Ed.D. Jim Murphy, Read-Rite Executive Director Hideki Harada—Auditor 408.330.8106 Ed Grochowski, IBM HTA Articles Mark Geenen Rick Penn, Hutchinson Technology Teizo Tarao—Executive Director Article contributions are President Randy Bonner, Magnecomp IDEMA Japan welcome and are subject to editing 408.330.8101 Frank Briezo, KLA-Tencor Shoji Fuchigami by IDEMA. Trudy Gressley Sony Corporation Finance/Office Manager Yuichi Hyakusoku Advertising 408.330.8105 Management Committee— Mediken, Inc. Ad space is available for the Winter Lisa Hood Asia-Pacific Yuji Kubota 2002 Issue. Editorial calendar and Administrative Coordinator Jim Chirico—Chair Corporation advertising rates are available 408.330.8100 online at www.idema.org. Noboru Kubokawa Beth McCullough K.Y. Phua—Vice Chair Institute of Information Tradeshow Coordinator IDEMA Asia-Pacific Technology, Ltd. Subscriptions (Annual Rates) 408.492.1436 Mikio Matsuzaki IDEMA Members: Free S.C. Lee—Singapore Kristen Montan Advisory Chair TDK Corporation Nonmembers: Program Manager, Standards Maxtor Peripherals (S) Pte. Ltd. United States: $80 408.330.8109 Shunichi Murakami Tom McDorman—Malaysia Anelva Corporation Canada & Mexico: $100 Advisory Chair Rest of World: $140 Tadashi Shinohara Communications Committee Western Digital Hitachi Metals, Ltd. For a subscription, register online Richard Penn—Chair Brent Bargmann—Tailand at www.idema.org. Isao Suzuki Hutchinson Technology, Inc. Advisory Committee Chair Hoya Corporation Sally Bryant, Ed.D. Seagate Technology INSIGHT is an association/technical Akira Terada IDEMA Peter Maguire—Philippines journal published quarterly by IDEMA— Alps Electric Co., Ltd. Advisory Chair the trade association for the data storage Jay Kimmal Tetsuo Tsuru Komag, Inc. Lighthouse Worldwide industry. The goal of INSIGHT is to Solutions Pte. Ltd. Hitachi Electronics Engineering inform IDEMA members and industry Keith Goodson Co., Ltd. John Lee—Greater China Advisory professionals worldwide about emerging Seagate Toshihisa Ueno technologies, industry news, as well as Chair Kaifa Magnetics Kobe Steel, Ltd. upcoming IDEMA and industry trade events. INSIGHT is an international S.H. Goh—Education Committe Haruo Urai publication read by more than 15,000 IDEMA—Asia-Pacific Chair NEC Corporation C/O Seagate Technology engineers, scientists, and technical Achieva Hideaki Yamazaki 7000 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 managers involved in the selection and Spider Systems of Japan, Inc. Singapore 569877 Gary Davis—Membership Chair purchase of materials, equipment, Republic of Singapore Davis Consultants Asia Sdn. Bhd. Takashi Yamazaki supplies, and products used in the Phone: 65.278.9522 William Tan—Standards Chair IBM Japan, Ltd. development and manufacture of data Fax: 65.278.8762 Megatech Electronics Pte. Ltd. storage devices. Chan Leng Wai—Finance Chair Wendy Ang Peoplenet Training Executive Chang Faa Shoon Sok-Yin Hong Seagate Administrative Executive Adam Giandomenico K.Y. Phua Lighthouse © Copyright 2002 IDEMA. All rights Managing Director reserved. No part of this publication may 65.226.3412 B.L. Teh be reproduced without the written MMI permission of IDEMA. IDEMA and IDEMA—Japan T.H. Soh DISKCON are registered trademarks of Wataru Building, 6th Floor Read-Rite Corporation the International Disk Drive Equipment 2-11-9, Nishi Shinbashi Michael Weiss Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0003 and Materials Association. Other product Veeco Instruments, Inc. names or brands used in this publication Japan are for identification purposes only and Phone: 81.3.3539.7071 Hank Pselos may be trademarks of their respective Fax: 81.3.3539.7072 K.R. Precision companies. Sukh Sandhu Naoko Miura IBM Editor/Seminars Teizo Tarao Executive Director 81.3.3539.7071 Akiko Yamamoto Finance/Standards

4 INSIGHT • Summer 2002

New horizons of growth & opportunity

DISKCON USA September 16–19, San Jose, CA

Use the following pages as a guide to help you plan your time at DISKCON USA. To register online, visit www.idema.org, or complete the enclosed registration card.

Storage, The Ultimiate Technology—requires continual renewal as the key to survive and prosper in this industry. It demands that you improve your products, streamline your processes, and keep up with the pace of technological advancement while adapting to changing business conditions. DISKCON USA 2002 helps you achieve this through its focus on new horizons of opportunity and growth for the data storage industry.

Looking to develop new products, expand into new markets, and improve your bottom line? What are the best ways to achieve growth and which are the fertile opportunities? The answers to these questions, and many more, can be found at DISKCON USA 2002. Offering world- class education and a full roster of exhibitors who have the products, materials, and services targeted directly to your needs, DISKCON is focused entirely on data storage and data storage manufacturing, providing you with the necessary knowledge to be more effective and your products more competitive.

The DISKCON Technical Conference offers a unique opportunity to focus on the storage industry’s new horizons of growth and opportunity in technology and business. Here are some of the major topics and issues at this year’s DISKCON Technical Conference: • Hear Wall Street specialists and leading storage business executives share their financial and business outlook for the storage industry • See how the latest HDD designs and mechanics are yielding improved performance • Explore the fertile opportunities in the mobile applications market, and understand the design requirements of mobile systems • Unearth the market potential for new applications of HDDs that have been sprouting up in many consumer devices, and study the unique engineering issues for these applications • Survey the new storage technologies that are germinating—and what issues need to be addressed before they will bud into commercial products

DISKCON USA 2002, now in its 16th year, sets the standard for data storage events. No other event offers the breadth of opportunities to learn, explore, and inquire about the products, materials, and services that drive data storage and data storage manufacturing. It only happens once a year—so don’t miss it!

6 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 DISKCON USA TECHNICAL CONFERENCE Storage—The Ultimate Technology Wednesday, September 18 Thursday, September 19 San Jose Convention Center—San Jose, CA “Storage—The Ultimate Technology” is the theme of IDEMA’s DISKCON USA 2002 Technical Conference. A world-class assembly of technologists, marketing professionals, and analysts will capture every aspect of the unprecedented progress that has propelled this industry into the forefront of the computer revolution. Seven sessions will provide an assessment of storage technologies, application requirements, and a business/financial outlook for the industry. Explore this amazing industry and its bright future by attending these sessions. There is no better way to master a strong per- spective of growth areas and technology directions of an industry on the rebound. The following schedule (as of 25-Jun-02) provides a description of the seven sessions offered and in all likelihood will be subject to some changes as the conference evolves. Visit the IDEMA website at www.idema.org for ongoing updates.

Wednesday, September 18 Glenn Horner, Aprilis, Corp Session 1: Explosive Growth on the HDD Horizon? Towards commercial holographic data storage A Financial and Business Outlook Arthur Davidson, Carnegie Mellon University Wednesday, Sept. 18, 10:00 am-noon MEMS based magnetic recording This session draws upon the perspectives of key Wall Street James A. Bain, Carnegie Mellon University specialists and business executives to formulate an assessment of Thermally assisted magnetic recording today’s storage world—and the bright future that awaits industry Tony Arrott, Consultant participants. This will be an excellent opportunity to hear a "no MRAM—truth and fiction holds barred" analysis of the storage industry, new potential Hans Coufal, Almaden Research Center, IBM growth areas, and how stocks will fare in the years ahead. The millipede—nanotechnology entering data storage Session Chair: Gillian Munson Clint Vaughn, Salomon Smith Barney Thursday, September 19 William Lewis, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Session 3: Highlights from the INTERMAG Europe 2002 Conference Session 2: Beyond Magnetic Storage/NSIC Review Thursday, Sept. 19, 9:00 am-noon Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1:30-5:00 pm A blue ribbon group of speakers from IEEE’s INTERMAG HDD storage has always been characterized by development Amsterdam Review (held in May 2002) has been invited to and application of bold new technologies required to maintain discuss innovative storage technologies, including recent updates. the pace of product evolution. This session will explore future (This session continues to be of maximum interest for DISKCON technologies in storage that could enhance and extend today’s attendees.) If you did not attend INTERMAG and want to hear magnetic technology base and branch out beyond this base with the latest updates from the industry’s foremost experts on future storage innovations. These include MRAM, holography, magnetic technology, this is the session to attend. probe based storage, and even protein-based technologies. In Session Chair: Chris Bajorek, Executive Vice President of addition, a review of storage industry advances will be presented Advanced Technology, Komag, Inc. by the National Storage Industry Consortium (NSIC) to initiate Akira Kakehi, Fujitsu Ltd. this strategic session. Over 100 Gbit/in2 longitudinal magnetic recording Session Chair: Michael Russak, President and Chief Technology Xiaoding Ma, Seagate Technology Officer, Komag, Inc. The effect of slider on lubricant loss and redistribution Paul Frank, Executive Director, NSIC Masayuki Takagishi, Toshiba Corporation NSIC overview: The future of information storage technology The applicability of CPP-GMR for over 100 Gbpsi Eric Mayes, Chief Technical Officer, Nanomagnetics, Ltd. Biologically-derived nanomagnets in self organized patterned continued on page 8 media

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 7 TECHNICAL CONFERENCE continued from page 7

Yoshiaki Sonobe, IBM Almaden Research Center Session 4b: The Storage Explosion in Consumer Thermally stable CGC perpendicular recording media with Pt-rich Applications CoPtCr layer and simulations of magnetic recording in CGC Thursday, Sept. 19, 1:30-3:00 pm perpendicular media with random pinning sites HDDs are at the cusp of a massive demand wave from the Hans-Josef Hug, University of Basel, Institute of Physics consumer electronics markets. No other technology provides the High resolution quantitative magnetic force microscopy cost/performance advantages that magnetic storage does, but is Bruce D. Terris, IBM Almaden Research Center the industry up to the task? Not only are customer demands radically different, but competing technologies like flash and Recording properties of patterned Co70Pt18Cr12 perpendicular media; nanofabricated magnetic islands for high density storage; optical are vying for the same applications. Which technology and magnetisation reversal and thermal activation in CoCrPt will win? This session will focus on these newly defined markets patterned media and how they may be specifically addressed by disk products. Hiroyuki Awano, Hitachi Maxell Session chairman: Jim Porter, President DISK/TREND, Inc. Capability of hybrid recording toward terabit/in2 and tera BPS John Monroe, Vice President, Storage Group, Gartner Dataquest write speed An insatiable desire for infortainment Gerard "Tex" Schenkkan, Sr. Vice President, Consumer Session 4a: Heads, Media, Electronics, the Electronics and Business, Maxtor Corporation Evolutionary Backbone The consumer storage market is real—and it’s growing Thursday, Sept. 19, 1:30-3:00 pm Amy Dalphy, Director, Toshiba Storage Device Division Powering a new breed of consumer electronics products Today’s magnetic disk drive components require design and process precision involving materials with magnetic, electrical, Tom Coughlin, Coughlin Associates and physical properties that are far beyond those of a few years What’s it take to make a disk drive consumer friendly? ago. This trend in new materials and structures offers a significant Dick Zech, President, Advent Group challenge to the storage product engineer, which will be explored What happens next? in the session, describing how these advanced components are designed and tested. Session 5a: Design and Mechanics of Disk Drives Session Chair: Barry Rossum, President, Consulting Resources International Thursday, Sept. 19, 3:30-5:00 pm Mehdi Ashegi, Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University The magnetic has undergone exponential evolu- Thermal property measurements of thin aluminum oxide layers for tionary changes to meet expanding requirements of the data GMR head applications processing industry, and enhancements are made daily. These design changes, enabled by technology innovations, promise to Francis Liu, Director, Advanced Recording, Read-Rite extend data storage to new plateaus of capacity and Corporation performance. This session will give attendees an opportunity to Advanced GMR sensors see how today’s technologies in the design and mechanics of the Nersi Nazari, Vice President Signal Processing Technology, disk drive will evolve into the storage designs of the future. Marvell Semiconductors Session Chair: TBD Electronics for consumer disk drive applications Sri-Sri Jayantha, IBM Mark Miller, Senior Engineer, Hutchinson Technology Advanced Servo Technology Shock analysis for improved suspension and disk drive performance Xyratex Advance Production Test Systems for Storage Industry Roger Ku, Western Digital TMR challenge of low cost, high capacity disk drives Seagate presentation Maxtor presentation

8 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 Session 5b: Network Storage Applications Thursday, Sept. 19, 3:30-5:00 pm The success of today’s network architectures depends signifi- cantly on the availability of low cost, high performance storage with such newly defined features as built-in intelligence, enhanced backup, and efficient interfaces, all precisely managed through an appropriate system design. This session will explore the rapid evolution of these features, both hardware and software, allowing attendees to gain an under- standing of new developments in product and system design to meet these expanding applications. Session Chair: Marc A. Farley, President, Building Storage Gordon Hughes, Associate Director, CMRR UCSD Intelligent disk drives Alan Armstrong, Vice President, Marketing, Marvell Semiconductors 200 Business Park Drive Armonk, NY 10504 Serial ATA and iSCSI in disk drives Mike Meisner, Storage Architect, Intel Object based storage Kevin Daly, Sr. Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Enhanced backup solutions initiative Chris Wood, Director, Strategic Marketing of Network Storage, Sun Storage network management

Register NOW for the CEO Kickoff at DISKCON! San Jose Convention Center Wednesday, September 18 9:00 am to 10:00 am

IDEMA’s new strategy and evolution path have the full support of all the leading HDD companies. The industry’s top management, comprising IDEMA’s Executive Advisory Council, are helping steer our trade group into a new era. Market leaders—the HDD industry’s All Star Team—speaking at the CEO Kickoff are:

Bill Watkins, President/COO, Seagate Technology Mike Cannon, President/CEO, Maxtor Matt Massengill, Chairman/CEO, Western Digital Doug Grose, Executive Vice President, IBM Ichiro Komura, President, Storage Products Group, Fujitsu Wayne Fortun, President/CEO, Hutchinson Technology Ed Braun, Chairman/President, Veeco Instruments John Dean, Managing Director, Salomon Smith Barney

The Executive Advisory Council will kick off DISKCON USA 2002 with a fast-paced, compelling panel discussion on our industry and IDEMA’s future role. It is safe to say that this session will be a DISKCON highlight. And it’s FREE to registered DISKCON attendees and exhibitors! Seating for this event is limited, so register early.

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 9 DISKCON USA—new products

The following product announcements have been submitted by exhibiting companies and provide an example of some of the new technologies you will see on the exhibit floor. Experience the future in real time and check out the hottest new products on display.

Ultra-Low Inertia Nanopositioning Stages Achieve Veeco Introduces Dektak 6M Stylus Profiler for Sub-Nanometer Precision Faster Improved Surface Characterization-Low-Cost Polytec PI introduces the new line of P-75x piezo-driven Solution for Today's Measurement Challenges NanoPositioning stages and digital controllers featuring the latest Veeco Metrology Group has introduced the new Dektak® 6M advances in micro-mechanical design and control technology. bench-top stylus profiler. As the newest product in the industry- These miniature, ultra-low inertia nanopositioning stages were standard Dektak line of surface profilers, the stylus profiler designed for spin stand test applications and allow the fastest incorporates Dektak’s trademark reliability with a low inertia possible positioning and settling with sub-nanometer resolution sensor head to provide step height, surface roughness, and and stability. The nanomechanisms are equipped with zero- waviness measurements for samples up to 150 millimeters for a friction parallel kinenatics flexures and two plate capacitive wide range of semiconductor, data storage, and industrial appli- sensors. The digital controllers feature Active Trajectory ControlTM cations. "The key component to the new Dektak is the Low-Inertia InputShapingTM for vibration nullification, FreshapingTM for better Sensor 3 head," explains Rick Olds, Product Line Manager. "This dyanmics linearity, and Adaptive Following Error sensor incorporates technological innovations that allow a CompensationTM for increased dyanmics bandwidth. For addi- reduction in noise and inertia as well as improved isolation and tional information write to: Polytec PI, Inc., 16 Albert St. Auburn, easier stylus replacement. These advances are due to the use of MA 01501. lighter composite materials such as carbon and titanium which reduce the scanning inertia. Electronic noise is also reduced through the use of ultra-high permeability material and the sensor PPT861-HDTM High-Speed Suspension Inspection design features increased magnetic shielding to isolate the elec- System tromagnetic field. Perhaps the most exciting aspect is that the The PPT861-HD is a high-speed, automated, 3D inspection improvements do not significantly increase the base price of the system designed for precise measurement of a broad range of system. In addition to its unique combination of accuracy, ease of critical parameters including delta height and offset, SAG, RSA, use, and simplicity of design, the Dektak 6M is surprisingly eco- PSA, LB twist and resonance prediction of suspensions, HGAs, nomical." Additional information on Veeco can be found at and HSAs. This turnkey system takes advantage of the patented www.veeco.com. Scanning Moiré InterferometryTM (SMITM) 3D technology for 100 percent production scanning (inline or offline), QA, and FA. The exclusive 3D inspection technology is integrated with advanced DSW210 NanoTrack™ Servowriter—10 Fully- material handling systems for a complete inspection solution. For Patterned Disks in 45 Minutes more information see www.pptvision.com. The NanoTrack DSW210 is KLA-Tencor's first outside-the-drive disk servowriter solution. The DSW210 can process 10 disks at a time and write in excess of 140 KTPI. Fast Nanotrack throughput Novx Introduces the Series 6000 lowers advanced KTPI servowriting costs and greatly simplifies the Novx has introduced the Series 6000—the next generation work- final assembly process. NanoTrack helps you deliver areal density station monitor. The Series 6000 is fully microprocessor-based breakthroughs with 0.25nm (0.01µ") and introduces Novx EMI detection capability, ionization decay optical encoding and testing, and our next generation (patent pending) wrist- < 3.7nm (< 0.15µ") track-holding strap/operator monitoring technology with many other additional accuracy, due in part to our proprietary process monitoring advantages. The Series 6000 also includes spindles with industry-leading NRRO digital output which eliminates the need for a Novx DART to < 0.8nm (< 0.03µ"). Automation- interface to Novx PEMS™ (Process Environment Monitoring friendly NanoTrack is also extendable System). This instrument has fully programmable alarm set-points for future technologies. Please contact which eliminates manual adjustments and can be "field" Matt Bellis at 510.624.6749 for adjusted. System configuration is truly modular for plug-and-play complete details (matt.bellis@kla- assembly, certification, and shipment. tencor.com).

10 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 Intevac Announces New System for Applying Next Magnetic Measurement System Generation Anti-wetting Agents on Thin Film Heads Shb Instruments has expanded the application of Hysteresis Loop Intevac's Model HC1GB Head Coater is designed to distribute a Tracers into new areas microscopic layer of anti-wetting agent across the surface of the with the introduction of head. The machine utilizes technology developed on the Intevac the high-field Model 110 magnetic disk media lubrication system which is known for its Magnetic Measurement tight thickness uniformity control while minimizing solvent System. Capable of field emissions. strengths of over 15,000 Oe, and able to accom- modate wafers up to 8 Data Storage Drive Runs Cooler inches in diameter, this Heat build-up is a growing problem for data storage drives. revolutionary instrument Traditional non-conductive plastic housings thermally insulate is the latest addition to devices from surrounding air and increase component tempera- Shb’s product line. It joins the industry-standard Model 109, tures, which can cause components to fail. This injection molded which is aimed at applications requiring less field strength. part reduces thermal resistance of the enclosure, lowers part tem- These instruments are designed to make BH loop, magnetoresis- perature, and incorporates all required features and attachment tance and magnetostriction measurements on a wide variety of points. For additional information visit www.coolpolymers.com. both hard and soft thin film materials. They feature real-time loop display and measurements, as well as full computer control and programmability. Their unprecedented sensitivity allows HEIDENHAIN and ETEL Launch a New Motion Control accurate measurements on films as thin as 3 Å. Applications System for Servo Track Writers include MR and GMR recording heads, disk media, sensors, and At this year’s DISKCON USA show, HEIDENHAIN Corporation general magnetics R&D. To learn more visit www.shbinstru- and ETEL, Inc., will jointly introduce a new complete motion ments.com. control system for the servo track writing industry. With the ROP8282 encoder system from HEIDENHAIN and the voice coil motor and motion control board from ETEL, servo track writers Hyprez 3-Axis Plate Profiling Air Bearing System now have the capability of writing well over 100,000 tracks per Engis is pleased to announce the availability of our next- inch. The new system boasts advanced bearing designs, user generation Lap Plate Profiling Technology System, Model friendly software interface (ETEL-Tools^TM) and connections that #18LMF-3AR-A/B. This multi-functional tool is designed to can directly plug into your servo writer. The encoder assembly has provide consistent plate flatness quality and surface texture to a 1 V peak to peak output, measures plus/minus 25 degrees of values of less than one micron in a production environment. The arc, and has extremely low jitter at values less than plus/minus 3-Axis, computer controlled–AR system, takes mechanical and 0.5 nanometers. For more information on the complete system, environmental vagaries into memory for compensated profiling. contact Art Holznecht, Sales and Marketing Manager, at The free-joint Air-Bearing System maximizes plate flatness, while [email protected] minimizing transferred harmonic/transferred vibration, also eliminating most axial/radial run-out for optimized micro- grooving peak-to-valley profile repeatability across the plate Arrival of a new Breed in MR/GMR Slicing surface. This equipment features a durable one-piece construc- Technology tion design and is arranged for wet or dry profiling. In addition to the operation system, productivity features include ease of Advanced Imaging, Inc., announces a series of high precision platen handling, open access to critical equipment components equipment for row slice, throat height grinding, and part off oper- (operational & maintenance) with strict levels of attention paid to ations. The slicing system employs unparalleled design in rigidity environmental control, cleanliness and safety. Options offered and stability with intuitive controls for today’s industry require- include Ethernet interface (local and remote) to the controller, ments. The dicing machine incorporates Aii’s DSP control/vision data collection systems (including bar-code scanning interface), system, Windows based and touch screen panel. The choice of aspherical profiling, and constant velocity/speed software. spindles is optimized for your process with high speed/torque Available in models to process 12-, 15-, 16-, 18- and 20-inch and full-body mount on a robust platform. The table has <0.2 diameter plates. Contact: Dave Roth, Hyprez Product Manager arc second resolution with over 100 ft*lbs of holding torque. [email protected] Rapid vision alignment and fast, precise positioning provide a high degree of accuracy. Dices up to 12" (300mm) diameter part size in a small machine footprint. For additional information visit www.aiiwebsite.com or contact: JoJo Daof, Applications Manager at Aii, 741 Flynn Rd., Camarillo, CA 93012, Tel: 805.388.6001 continued on page 12

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 11 DISKCON USA—new products

continued from page 11

OGP Announces COBRA LASER PROFILE SCANNER MTI Introduces New Microtrak II High-Speed with New Video Option CCD Laser Displacement Sensor Optical Gaging Products, Inc. (OGP®) introduces Cobra laser MTI Instruments Inc. has profile scanner for non-contact, high resolution surface profiles of expanded its Microtrak family of manufactured parts—powered by new ScanX Profiling Software. laser-based noncontact measure- Cobra is capable of linear scans up to 50 mm (2 inches), with Z- ment systems. The new Microtrak axis resolution to 0.125 mm, over measurement ranges to 8 mm. II offers state of the art CMOS The new video option aids alignment and provides a real-time CCD technology in a compact, image of the laser spot as it scans across the surface. The DIN mountable package for compact LCD display provides a crisp image without taking up precise measurements of dis- valuable space. The portable Cobra combines laser technology, a placement, position, vibration, and thickness. Typical applications computer-controlled moving sensor, and data analysis software to for the Microtrak II include disk thickness, flatness, and warpage; produce high-resolution surface profiles. NEW ScanX software alignment, displacement/position, step height, positioning, provides a simple user interface for controlling the measurement profiling, and structural dynamics. Based on MTI’s proven laser and displaying the results. Under computer control, the laser triangulation technology, the system provides a perfect solution moves in a precise linear scan while the sensor acquires reflected for many measurements previously unattainable. It is unaffected red laser light at intervals selected by the user. ScanX processes by surface texture, color, or stray light. The Microtrak II particu- this data to determine changes in surface height and to generate larly excels in measurements in which the sensor needs to have a surface profile. Interaction with the generated profile allows as much operating standoff and range as possible. The DC-20 detailed measurement of feature sizes, heights, widths, and kHz response is ideal for difficult high-speed measurements, spacings. The measurement is totally non-contact—only low especially in production applications. For more information power red laser light strikes the surface. Fragile, pliable, and contact MTI at 800.342.2203, or visit our website at sensitive samples can be scanned with confidence. www.mtiinstruments.com The Cobra 2D scanner will be featured at DISKCON 2002 in Optical Gaging Products’ booth # 335. For more information contact Optical Gaging Products, Inc., at 800.647.4243, Hutchinson Technology Inc. To Introduce New Suspension Assembly Concepts for Improved HDD www.ogpnet.com, or e-mail at [email protected]. Performance At DISKCON 2002, HTI will demonstrate a broad range of sus- ARclean High-Performance Electronically Clean pension load beam, flexure, mount plate, and feature concepts to Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Systems and Tape solve many of the significant technological and business issues Technology for Hard Disk Drive Assembly facing the disk drive industry today. Among the many new Adhesives concepts will be new suspension load beams that increase first Research, who bending resonance frequency and improve shock performance. pioneered the These load beams can be matched with next generation flexure use of enhanced designs for tighter fly height distributions, and tailored with sus- pressure-sensitive pension-based ESD control features for reduced HGA/HSA and adhesive tech- drive level ESD failures. HTI will also demonstrate its latest nology to control concepts to combat other industry challenges, including concepts chemical contam- for reduced wind excitation, 2.5 inch form factor desktop drive ination in hard migration, extended single stage actuator performance, and disk drive assem- continued areal density growth. For more information, contact blies, offers Hutchinson Technology at 320.587.1900, visit them on-line at ultra-low outgassing, electronically clean pressure-sensitive www.htch.com, or stop by their booth #1027 at DISKCON USA. adhesives which are acrylic acid free for tape seals, labels, filter bonding, and flexible circuit bonding. The company has recently introduced three new related products into its line of electroni- cally clean technology. Contact: Bill Stratton at [email protected] or visit www.adhesivesresearch.com

12 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 DISKCON USA—Exhibitors

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 10 am to 6 pm Thursday, Sept. 19, 10 am to 5 pm Our two-day exhibition will provide the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the technology leaders of the data storage industry. Below is a list of the exhibitors, as of June 24. Visit www.idema.org to review the latest listing.

A2C2 InnovaTech Labs, Inc. Mipox International Schmitt Measurement Systems, Corporation Ablestik Innovative Organics Inc. Motion Control Systems, Accurion, LLC Innovex, Inc. Seagull Solutions, Inc. Inc. Shb Instruments, Inc. Acropolis Engineering, Inc. Integral Solutions Int'l MTI Instruments Inc. Adhesives Research Intevac, Inc. STMicroelectronics Nikko Materials, USA Inc. Technology Showcase Advanced Energy Intri-Plex Technologies, Inc. Nordiko USA, Inc. Industries, Inc. Ion Thermo NORAN, Novx Corporation KevexSpectrace Aii (Advanced Imaging, ITW Texwipe Inc.) NTK Technologies Inc. TTi KLA-Tencor Corporation Amerimade Technology Oliver Design, Inc. Unaxis USA, Inc. KnowledgeTek, Inc. Anza Technology, Inc. Optical Gaging Products, Ushio America, Inc. Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc. Blackstone-NEY Ultrasonics Valtech Corporation Inc. Philips Analytical Brandon International LESCO Veeco Instruments Inc. Photonics Spectra/Laurin View Engineering, Inc. Call Associates Inc. LNP Engineering Plastics, Publishing W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Candela Instruments Inc. Polytec PI, Inc. Warren Superabrasives Chemetall-Oakite Magnebit Holding PPT Vision Corporation Westlake Plastics Company CME, Inc. Prent Corporation Magnecomp Group Xyratex Cool Polymers Prudential Cleanroom CoorsTek Magnetic Solutions Ltd. Services (PCS) Crest Ultrasonics Meivac Inc. Pure Tech Corporation Micro E Systems Inc. Renishaw Inc. Daido Steel Co., Ltd. Micro-Metric, Inc. RJ Lee MicroSystems LLC DeWeyl Tool Company Middlesex General Roush Anatrol Diamonex, a unit of Industries, Inc. Morgan Ceramics Donaldson Company Dover Instrument Corporation DuPont Company Engis Corporation Promotional & Entegris, Inc. Sponsorship F&K Delvotec, Inc. Glide/Write Inc. Opportunities Guzik Technical Enterprises HDI Instrumentation Heidenhain Corporation Put your company name in front of key decision makers in the data storage HERZAN industry by purchasing a promotion or corporate sponsorship at DISKCON Hitachi High-Technologies USA. Our wide range of sponsorships include prize donations, proceedings, America Ltd. coffee breaks, banners, water bottles, Keynote Dinner, ice cream breaks and Hutchinson Technology Inc. many more. IDEMA can customize any opportunity to work within your Hysitron Inc. marketing budget. Companies that purchase a promotion or sponsorship are IDEMA acknowledged in INSIGHT magazine and on the IDEMA Website. For a full list of opportunities and to learn more about these affordable, high- impact services, contact the IDEMA show group at 408.492.1436.

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 13 DISKCON USA Keynote Dinner

Matthew Massengill Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Western Digital Corporation

September 18, 2002 The Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, CA no-host cocktails: 6 pm DISKCON USA dinner: 7 pm Tradeshow Wednesday–Thursday, September 18–19 Matthew Massengill was named president and chief executive officer of Western Digital in January, 2000. He had served since October The dynamic and interactive environment of the exhibit 1999 as chief operating officer with responsibility for worldwide floor encourages an open and collaborative exchange of information with fellow data storage professionals. operations and geographies,research and development, and Interactive displays and demonstrations of the latest marketing. Before being named COO, Massengill served as cutting-edge products will be showcased by industry executive vice president and general manager of all worldwide hard leaders. drive operations including research, development, manufacturing, and marketing. Massengill began his career at Western Digital Technology Showcase in1985 as a product engineer. He held various engineering and View the history of the disk drive industry at IDEMA’s marketing positions and was named vice president of marketing for Technology Showcase. It features the world‘s largest collection the Personal Storage Division in 1994. During his tenure in the of milestone disk drives and industry memorabilia, combined Personal Storage Division, Western Digital grew to become the with unique educational exhibits created to explain the largest global supplier of drives in the desktop personal computer evolution of the storage industry. market. In 1997 he was named senior vice president and general manager of the enter- prise storage group, and in June 1999, was appointed executive Attendee Discounts vice president, worldwide operations DISKCON USA Airline Discounts and geographies. Southwest Airlines is offering a 10 percent discount on most of its already low fares for air travel to and from DISKCON Before joining Western USA. You or your travel agent may call Southwest Airlines Digital, Massengill Group and Meetings Reservations at 1.800.433.5368 and served Ford Aerospace reference the assigned ID Code R9775. Reservation sales and Communications agents are available 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, Corporation as a and 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday. You must research engineer make your reservations five or more days prior to travel. developing materials and devices for infrared detectors and imaging systems. He received a degree in DISKCON USA Hotel Rates and Discounts electrical engineering from Purdue University in 1983, and in 1998 IDEMA has negotiated special convention rates at nine hotels was honored by Purdue with its Outstanding Engineering Alumni located in the San Jose area. Book your reservations through award. Massengill is a member of the the CEO Roundtable at the our service agency, Convention Housing Management University of California, Irvine, and the board of directors of Share (CHM), by calling 1.800.227.5288 or sending an e-mail to: Our Selves (SOS), a local nonprofit organization. [email protected].

Early booking is strongly advised. Reservation requests are subject to availability and restrictions may apply.

14 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 Looking for a Great Way to Entertain Customers and to CALENDAR OF Network? EVENTS

Then don’t miss the 7th Annual Mark Geenen Technology for Youth Charity Golf Tournament Sept. 16 Monday, September 16, Coyote Creek Golf Club, San Jose, CA. IDEMA is teaming up once Charity Golf again with pro football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott’s All Stars Helping Kids to support local Tournament Contribute to a worthy cause youth-oriented organizations. This tournament has raised well over $150,000 in the last few and at the same time, years and is a key event for both customers and colleagues. network with industry profes- sionals while enjoying a day What a great way to kick off DISKCON week! Take your customers and staff to play one of of golf at the Coyote Creek the Bay Area’s premier golf courses, Coyote Creek, a regular stop on the Senior PGA Tour. Golf Club, San Jose. The track is both challenging for serious golfers and a great course for "once a year" Sept. 17–19 players. It straddles Highway 101, convenient to the greater San Jose area, and features Education Classes some picturesque holes that will stay with you long after the round is over. The technical education classes offered by Shotgun start: 11 am KnowledgeTek are a great Format: Scramble, but with some interesting twists! way to keep pace with the technologies used in the data Cost: $950 per foursome if payment received by August 16, storage industry. $1000 thereafter.

Sept. 18 After the tournament, relax at Coyote Creek’s fine dining room and enjoy a delicious buffet Keynote Dinner and drinks. Then, the evening will heat up with both a silent and live auction! Kick off This popular event (held in DISKCON week with a fun day in the sun at Coyote Creek—while helping local youth orga- San Jose at the Fairmont Hotel) sells out quickly. nizations. Reserve your space today online at www.idema.org. Christopher Bajorek, Ph.D., Honored with the IEEE Sept. 18–19 Technical Conference Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Award The prestigious two-day Technical Conference offers Dr. Christopher Bajorek is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and sessions that provide an Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is the recipient of the prestigious 2002 assessment of storage IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Award for leadership in technologies, application requirements, and business the development and manufacturing of magnetoresistive recording outlooks for the industry. heads for data storage devices, and the Third Millennium Medal Award for outstanding contributions by the IEEE Magnetics Society. Sept. 18–19 From 1997 to 2000, he was a Director of the International Disk Drive Tradeshow Equipment & Materials Association (IDEMA). Dr. Bajorek has contributed to more than 20 The dynamic and interactive environment of the exhibit patents and 50 publications in the fields of semiconductors, electronic packaging, and data floor encourages open and recording. collaborative exchange of information with fellow data This award, sponsored by IBM Corporation, is presented annually "for outstanding contribu- storage professionals. tions to the field of information storage, with emphasis in the area of computer storage." The Interactive displays and award consists of a bronze medal, certificate and a cash prize. demonstrations of the latest cutting-edge products will be Dr. Bajorek is executive vice president, Advanced Technology, at Komag. He is regarded as showcased by industry leaders. View the history of an expert in managing applied research, product and process development, customer the disk drive industry at the support, and manufacturing functions, with special emphasis on data storage devices, Technology Showcase. products, and software. In his career Dr. Bajorek has played a significant role in the develop- ment and high-volume manufacturing of thin film magnetoresistive (MR) recording heads in the storage industry. In his current position, Dr. Bajorek is responsible for Komag’s advanced disk designs and processes with focus on developing media more than two generations in the future.

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 15 Attendees Agree: DISKCON USA is the Leading Event in the HDD Industry

Now in its 16th year, DISKCON USA remains the premiere event in the data storage industry, and the only show tailored to the interests of the hard disk drive community. In a recent survey of past attendees, 95 percent state that DISKCON is the leading event in the hard disk drive industry, and 92 percent find that it is the best event to see the latest products and services in storage manufac- turing. Only at DISKCON USA can you meet with key industry suppliers, attend a world-class technical conference, and hear the CEOs of the leading companies in the HDD industry share their views on the state of the industry.

What else did DISKCON attendees say? Staying current on the latest products and services can be difficult: Almost all attendees (93 percent) find it challenging or somewhat challenging to stay up-to-date on the latest products and services relating to hard disk drives and their manufacture. DISKCON provides a means to meet that challenge. Attendees report that they come to DISKCON to learn about new technologies (91 percent), stay up-to-date in data storage manufacturing tech- niques (77 percent), improve their ability to do their job better (75 percent), learn about new data storage standards (47 percent), and meet and network with business associates (58 percent).

Ninety-one percent of attendees use DISKCON to learn about new products, while 64 percent find DISKCON offers a convenient venue to evaluate competing technologies. Two-thirds of attendees found DISKCON very effective in providing a "one-stop-shop" to evaluate and compare multiple product categories and companies in one place. Over 61 percent of DISKCON attendees are involved in purchasing decisions, with 7 percent involved in purchasing decisions of $20 million or greater.

What’s hot in the storage industry? Sixty-three percent of attendees identified consumer electronics and storage networking as the two hottest areas. The Technical Conference at DISKCON features sessions that address these hot topics: "The Storage Explosion in Consumer Applications" and "Network Storage Applications."

DISKCON attendees (86 percent) agree that the time they spend at DISKCON is time well spent and 94 percent plan to attend DISKCON USA 2002. So don’t be left out—mark your calendars now for September 16-19 for DISKCON at the San Jose Convention Center.

See you there!

Sally Bryant, Ed.D. Executive Director

16 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 DISKCON USA Dr. Tim Perkins Dr. Tim Perkins has over 20 Education Classes years of experience in the disk drive industry. His consulting Today’s fast-paced storage industry requires employees to have current knowledge of practice focused on signal industry products and their technologies. Continuous learning has become the norm for analysis techniques to evaluate anyone who wants to stay ahead of the competition. The technical education classes offered disk drive components. His at DISKCON USA are a great way to learn about an aspect of data storage that may be clients included leading manu- unfamiliar to you. Classes are presented by KnowledgeTek, a leader in technical training. facturers of heads, disks, read channel ICs, disk drives and test All classes scheduled for 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. equipment. Currently he works full time for KnowledgeTek Tuesday, September 17: Serial ATA Overview developing new courses, Preregistered: $550 members, $600 nonmembers; at the door: $660 members, $720 nonmembers training trainers, and conduct- Serial ATA is poised to become the dominant disk drive interface and dramatically impact the ing classes. industry. This course provides a good, working knowledge of the Serial ATA interface: how it functions, performs, and how it will be integrated into computer systems. Participants will be Dr. Perkins is no stranger to the provided with enough technical detail to achieve a high level understanding, without having to get classroom. He has earned lost in a sea of details. Prior knowledge of parallel ATA is not required to benefit from this class. advanced degrees (BS, MS, Course outline: MA, PHD) in Physics, Electrical Introduction Engineering, Computer Science, Parallel to Serial Migration and Psychology. He has also Serial ATA Technical Overview taught at public colleges in Bringing Serial ATA to Market California. Dr. Perkins can be Wednesday, September 18: Data Storage: The Cutting Edge 2002 reached at Preregistered: $395 members, $425 nonmembers; at the door: $475 members, $510 nonmembers [email protected] This course focuses on the latest developments that are moving and shaping the data storage Dennis Moore industry. It presents the issues and technologies behind the buzzwords and headlines, and explains how these will impact and change today's storage business. KnowledgeTek's staff of specialized Dennis Moore, founder and experts is continually updating the course to keep it current and relevant. This class provides a great principal of IOI Consulting, is way to keep up with the ever-changing data storage industry. This course is a follow-up to an independent consultant spe- KnowledgeTek's popular Disk Drive Technology class and assumes no additional knowledge or cializing in I/O interfaces. With understanding. Course outline: more than 30 years of experi- ence ranging from desktop to State of the Disk Drive Industry mainframe applications, he GMR Running Out Of Gas brings extensive expertise to Tunneling MR (TMR) Heads Maxed-Out Media bear at all levels of I/O inter- Scaling Servo to Sky-High TPI faces. Mr. Moore has held both Virtual Tape technical and managerial Innovators’ Dilemma positions in engineering and customer service, and so brings Thursday, September 19: Perpendicular Recording Technology Overiew a broad perspective to his Preregistered: $495 members, $545 nonmenbers; at the door: $595 members, $655 nonmembers classes as well. Perpendicular Recording has been promoted as the technology to carry us through the superparam- agnetism limit. With low demag fields that improve with increasing density, and the capability to He is a member of both the increase coercivity and still be able to write, this technology promises to be the panacea. But why ANSI T10 and T11 standards have we not yet seen products; and when will we? Why do companies continue to bet on this tech- committees (responsible for the nology? How are we going to overcome the obstacles in producing this technology? This class is SCSI and Fibre Channel ideal for those that want an overview of the advantages and the challenges of Perpendicular standards). Mr. Moore’s students Recording Technology. Course outline: comment frequently on the depth and breadth of his The Basics: Perpendicular vs. Longitutudinal knowledge, his patience in Media Magnetization Summary of Challenges Changing from Longitudinal to Perpendicular Recording answering questions, and his The Motivation: Why Perpendicular over Longitudinal Superparamagnetic Effect subtle and dry humor. Mr. Postponing the Inevitable: The Barrier Ratio Moore can be reached at Practical Limits to Improving the Barrier Ratio With Longitudinal Recording [email protected] The Perpendicular Advantage Solving the Problems with Perpendicular Recording Skew Probe Head Design

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 17 The Future of Optical Discs: Choosing a Winner

Ferry Zijp, Philips Research Laboratories Eindhoven, The Netherlands

In February of this year, nine leading companies For each system there are three types of media: Read- announced that they jointly established the basic specifi- only (such as audio CD or CD-ROM) in which data is cation for a new optical disc video recording format, encoded as a series of pits, Write-once in which the data called "Blu-ray Disc." The new format can hold almost is burned in a dye (CD-R) and Rewritable (CD-RW) in 6 times more data than a DVD disc and is widely which the data is recorded as crystalline and amorphous regarded as its successor. marks in a phase change material. This class of materials can be switched back and forth between the two phases With the format for the Blu-ray Disc established, the by heating with short laser pulses. question is of course what comes next? A glimpse into the future shows a Blu-ray Disc successor that differs Besides the three aforementioned formats, there are also significantly from CD, DVD and Blu-ray Disc portable optical disc systems with magneto-optical (MO) technology. media, such as MiniDisk and iD Photo. Data is stored on these rewritable media in the form of magnetic domains that are recorded by heating the magnetic layer with a Principles of Optical Disc Read Out focused laser beam, while a current running through a Read out of data stored on an optical disc is based on the coil generates an external magnetic field that is principles of diffraction of light. In an optical drive, light modulated according to the data. During read out of MO from a laser is focused by an objective lens onto the data media the magnetic domains give rise to a read out signal layer of an optical disc. The data layer modulates the by detecting a small rotation of the polarization of the light either in amplitude, phase or polarization, which reflected laser light using polarizing optics. This rotation causes diffraction of the light into several orders (Figure is induced by the polar Kerr effect in the magnetic 1). When the data patterns on the data layer decrease in medium. Both systems use optical heads with parameters size, diffraction directs the orders at an increasingly that are similar to that of CD and DVD. larger angle from the optical axis. The condition in which the objective lens no longer captures any of the light from the plus and minus first orders is called the Options for a Fourth Generation Optical Data diffraction or resolution limit, and marks the data density Storage System at which the read out signal becomes zero. The diffrac- Looking at the parameters in Table 1, it becomes clear tion limit and optical spot size both scale with λ/NA, that the Blu-ray Disc must mark the end of the evolution- where λ is the wavelength of the laser light and NA the ary path of developments. The first reason for this is the numerical aperture of the objective lens. The numerical short wavelength of only 405 nm from a blue-violet aperture of a lens is a measure for its optical strength and GaN laser. This type of laser provides the shortest wave- is defined as NA= n sin(θ), with n the refractive index of length available from a semiconductor laser diode. The the optical medium (usually a protective plastic layer) second reason is the lens with a numerical aperture of and θ the angle at which the marginal rays are focused NA=0.85 which is close to the maximum value NA=1 for on the data layer. conventional objective lenses.

Three Generations of Optical Data Storage Systems In going from CD to DVD and recently to Blu-ray Disc, Table 1. Parameters of CD, DVD and Blu-ray Disc the increase in storage density was enabled by several changes (see Table 1). The main improvement between CD DVD Blu-ray Disc the three generations however, was making the spot size Wavelength [nm] 780 650 405 smaller by decreasing the wavelength from infra-red, to Numerical aperture 0.45-0.5 0.6-0.65 0.85 red and blue-violet (respectively 780 nm, 650 nm and Track pitch [µm] 1.6 0.740 0.320 405 nm) and by using lenses with a larger numerical Shortest pit [µm] 0.831 0.399 0.138 aperture (from 0.45 to 0.6 and 0.85). Density [Gbit/inch2] 0.4 2.8 15.9 Capacity [GB] 0.65 4.7 27

18 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 proximity (the near field) to the flat side of the SIL. In a near field system, the SIL is usually mounted on a slider with a flying height of a few tens of nanometers, similar to the magnetic head in a hard disc drive.

At this moment it still remains to be established whether removability, the key success factor of optical discs, is realistic with this technology. As a closed box system with a fixed disc, near field recording would have to compete with the data density and the data rate of a modern hard disc drive, a comparison that the optical near field drive cannot win. Figure 1. Diffraction by the data layer of an optical disc Magnetic domain expansion in Magneto-Optical media The main difficulty in beating the Blu-ray Disc data density is in the read out, not in the process of recording small marks. It is indeed possible, both on phase change and MO media, to write marks that are too small to read back with the same optical head. With this in mind, researchers have tried to find unconventional ways to read out those very small marks. So far these attempts have not been very successful with phase change media. On MO media, however, very successful methods have been developed that are based on expansion of magnetic domains in the optical spot during read out.

An example of magnetic domain expansion technology is called MAMMOS (Magnetically AMplifying Figure 2. Configuration of the optical head for near field Magneto-Optical System). With a pulsed laser and a optical recording with a SIL. modulating external field, magnetic domains can be written in the storage layer that are smaller than the

continued on page 20 To overcome these limits, a number of alternative tech- nologies are being developed that aim at beating the Blu-ray Disc data density and data rate in a removable disc system. Examples of such technologies are near field recording, magnetic domain expansion in MO media, multi level recording, and recording in holographic or fluorescent media. So far results with near field recording and magnetic domain expansion indicate that the winning technology to become a Blu-ray Disc successor may be one of the two.

Near field recording It is known from microscopy that a numerical aperture larger than 1 can be achieved by immersing both the objective lens and the object in a high refractive index oil. Similarly, the numerical aperture of an optical head can be increased using a Solid Immersion Lens (SIL). In its simplest form, a near field objective is a lens that Figure 3. Expansion and collapse of a magnetic domain focuses light at the center of curvature of a high refrac- during MAMMOS read out. tive index hemispherical SIL (Figure 2). The SIL can increase the numerical aperture of the focusing lens to a value as large as 1.5 or even 2 in the air at very close

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 19 continued from page 19

resolution limit of the optical head. Read out of these Another aspect in favor of the MAMMOS system is its small domains is a dynamic, thermo-magnetic process in relatively simple magneto-optical head. The read and which the domains are copied into an expansion layer write head contains the objective lens and an integrated where they expand to approximately the size of the thin film coil that generates the modulating magnetic focused laser beam and then collapse again (Figure 3). field. The head-disc distance of such a head can be on the Read out is again based on the polar Kerr effect. There order of 10 micrometer, enabling the use of a conven- are two distinct types of MAMMOS media: one in which tional focusing and tracking actuator similar to the ones a modulating external magnetic field is required for the found in a DVD player. expansion and collapse (RF-MAMMOS) and a more recent development that does the trick without the need We will have to wait and see which system will emerge as for an external field (Zero-field MAMMOS). the successor of Blu-ray Disc, but the MAMMOS tech- nology definitely seems to be one of the most promising. The gain with MAMMOS media is impressive: experi- ments have shown that a data density of at least 5 times Ferry Zijp has been with Philips Research since 1995. He has that of a single layer Blue-ray Disc is within reach with a worked in the areas of design and evaluation of lightpaths for conventional NA = 0.85 lens and a blue-violet laser high density optical recording, modeling, experimental evaluation of disk read out and interferometry for components diode. In addition, experimental studies show that RF- and lightpath testing. MAMMOS media are fast enough to allow data rates up to 200 Mbps.

20 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 MIPOX

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 21 continued from page 8

Secure Erase of Disk Drive Data

Gordon Hughes and Tom Coughlin

A cardinal rule of computer data storage devices is to However, some engineering is necessary to incorporate protect user data at all costs. This includes protection SE into drives. Magnetic recording SE development is against accidental erasure, using "recycle" folders and required before drive firmware can be modified to carry unerase commands. Drives use elaborate error detection out SE. These techniques have been studied at the Center and correction techniques to never return incorrect user for Magnetic Recording Research at the University of data. All of this implies that true file erasure is an California, San Diego. abnormal situation. This article discusses SE recording technology. It will be Consequently, user data often remains stored on disk shown that a simple format drive command is effective, if drives when they are discarded, transferred to another low frequency (LF) overwriting frequencies are used, the user, or returned off lease. Even if users delete their files, g-list is also overwritten, and all possible user record they can be recovered from "recycling" folders or by areas are erased. Pseudo-random LF overwriting patterns special programs such as Norton Unerase. Other special are recommended for maximum security. Drive and programs are available to more definitely erase user spinstand experiments are shown and a protocol of SE data, such as Norton WipeInfo, which offers a validation tests. "Government Wipe." Because these are special programs, they are not widely known or used. Additionally, some To illustrate the effectiveness of SE, exotic data recovery user data can be unreachable by erasure programs, such experiments will also be shown. These use digital scope as drive data blocks removed from use due to excessive signal averaging and computer correlation techniques to errors. (These blocks are reassigned to other disk recover overwritten user data (erased beyond recovery by locations, and the defective record area is marked normal drive read channels). The ATA drive spec defines unusable in the drive’s "g-list," but the original data can two SE levels, normal and enhanced. A two-pass SE will remain in g-list sectors.) Norton WipeInfo only runs on be discussed for the latter, involving a combination of older Windows OS and wipes an individual folder. low frequency and random data writing, and positioning the heads ± 5-10 percent off-track. This defeats exotic A secure erase (SE) command is being added to computer recovery techniques and also erases the track edge signals disk drives. SE is a positive, easy-use "data destroy" (which will be shown to be primarily transition noise in command amounting to electronic data shredding. It will the tests here, not signal). be easy to use, not require any special software, and com- pletely erase all possible user data areas. SE is a simple Background addition to the existing "format drive" command Experience gained from supporting customers with currently present in computer operating systems and computer security and information storage media issues storage systems. SE commands have been added to the have shown a tremendous need for the capability to standard interface specifications for disk drives, ATA for reliably eradicate data from computer hard drives for desktop or personal computers, and SCSI for enterprise security and privacy reasons. The need arises when: drives. These commands define a drive internal SE operation that erases all possible user accessible record Mainframes and storage networks areas by overwriting. Although SE can be implemented • a user releases storage, a drive moves to a new storage easily by modifying the drive Format Unit firmware, server, is removed for maintenance, or returned from while providing a feature of potential value to many drive lease customers, it is not yet widely implemented in disk drives. • storage devices are re-configured for other uses or SE capability will soon be required by the U.S. govern- users, for instance in expiring leased data storage facilities at an SSP or data center ment for their disk drive purchases. Considering the additional security and features this capability provides to • a RAID drive backs up data to a hot spare many users, we expect there will be considerable commer- cial interest in this capability as well.

22 INSIGHT • Spring 2002 Individual user PCs and workstations Modern hard drives store information in sectors that • computer (and hard drive) is replaced by a newer contain addressing fields, timing signals, the user’s data machine and the older machine is discarded or sold and appropriate error correction coding, and other features essential for the drive’s proper operation. In • a project is completed and the data must be purged to protect "need to know" or to prepare the drives for order to accomplish secure erasure and continued new users or applications operation of the disk drive, secure erasure must overwrite only the data portion of the sector without dis- • a user departs an organization and either leaves turbing the addressing information or timing codes that sensitive/personal data on the computer or may take would make the drive unusable. the computer (and the organization’s data) with them • a drive is to be returned to a drive manufacturer or a Implementation of Secure Erase drive repair facility after a drive failure or near failure Erasure can be at various fixed frequencies (including (for instance upon a SMART drive replacement after imminent failure is determined) DC) and either on or off-track. The erasure can be performed once or several times. Spin-stand experiments • a virus has been detected and all possible traces of the were performed at CMRR at UCSD to determine the offending code must be eliminated effectiveness of various erasure techniques. • an extreme virus or hacker attack where it is desirable to completely erase the data on some disks and reinstall For a constant frequency 20 MHz signal written on a back-up data data track, it was found that an erasure resulting in the signal reduction of over -50 dB could be accomplished The elimination of unwanted data from a computer hard with a single on-track overwrite. This single on-track drive is not a simple task. Deleting a file merely removes overwrite is more effective as the overwritten frequency its name from the directory structure; the data itself is reduced (Figure 1). remains in the drive’s data storage sectors where it can be retrieved until the sectors are overwritten. Reformatting a A further reduction of the original signal of a few dB is hard drive clears the file directory and severs the links possible for a second on-track overwrite. Lower over- between storage sectors, but the data can be recovered writing frequencies are more effective in overwriting old until the sectors are overwritten. Software utilities that signals because they write a wider track than the original overwrite individual data files (or an entire hard drive) higher frequency signal. Thus the lower frequency over- are susceptible to error and require constant modifications written track will more effectively erase the edges of the to accommodate new hardware and evolving computer original signal, even with a single overwrite. For a single operating systems. As a consequence, computer users, low frequency overwrite, the SNR of the remaining 20 system administrators, security personnel, and service MHz signal is <10 dBm; this is only marginally worse providers have spent considerable time in an endless game with a second overwrite. Modern channels require the of technology catch-up while trying to develop solutions head playback SNR to be greater than 19 dB. Erased for the above problems. continued on page 24 Disk Drive Secure Erasure In 1996 researchers at the University of California, Center for Magnetic Recording Research (CMRR), in San Diego and the federal government began an investigation into incorporating a secure overwrite feature into new hard disk drives. This secure overwrite feature when enabled would allow hard disk drives to automatically overwrite all stored data via a simple external command. In discus- sions with U.S. hard drive manufacturers, they expressed their support for the secure overwrite or erasure feature. Fundamental issues needing to be addressed included: • determining how to overwrite data for security purposes • confirming secure erasure was implemented correctly • confirming the effectiveness of secure erasure through the entire drive environmental specification

• making a simple and safe user interface for secure interface Figure 1. Test showing that LF gives best overwrite. Noise • creating sufficient end-user demand to make secure level is the overwrite limit at higher frequencies because erasure economically feasible transition noise from overwriting signal dominates.

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 23 continued from page 23 that an SE operation erase all possible user accessible record areas by overwriting. This feature will be as easy signal SNR of this level will be impossible to recover to use as a "format drive" command when SE support using a disk drive channel. Thus a single on-track appears in drives and in computer operating systems. overwrite will usually be sufficient to erase the prior information to a level that would be impossible to The SE feature piggybacks on the "format unit" recover within a disk drive using its own channel. command already in these specs, thus adding little or no cost to a drive, while providing a feature of potential It is possible that under extreme environmental differ- value to many drive customers. ences between when the data was written and when the overwritten track is recorded, the two written tracks will There will be engineering details for disk drive be significantly offset from each other. Under these condi- companies to implement the secure erasure protocols, tions it is possible that some of the original track could and computer operating system companies need to add remain. If the overwritten track is at a much lower the already-defined SE command to their format drive frequency (usually as low as possible), the amount of software. CMRR researchers are available to work with original data remaining at the track edge will be signifi- drive companies and their customers on implementation cantly reduced. of single-pass (regular) as well as double-pass (enhanced) secure erasure. Track edges can contain highly distorted original data as well as transition noise and are therefore difficult to Exotic Data Recovery recover data from. Figure 2 shows a crosstrack scan of Drive information can sometimes be recovered that has the residual signal when a swath of tracks is DC-erased been erased using a single erasure pass on-track. It (blue curve) and when a 20 MHz square wave is over- should be first pointed out that single-frequency square- written by 10.5 MHz (red curve), chosen so the overwriting signal doesn’t have harmonics at 20 MHz. The scan does not change if the 20 MHz signal is not written at all (black curve); so it must be entirely due to the overwriting 10.5 MHz. This means that although the amplitude peaks 4-6 dB at the track edges, this cannot be unerased 20 MHz signal. A full spectral analysis (Figure 3) shows that these track edge peaks are primarily ac- erased transition noise. (The noise floor at 20 MHz rises 4 dB above the DC erase level, when 10.5 MHz is recorded.) The poor write field gradients off the head sides AC erases a higher level of transition noise than the well-written 10.5 MHz transitions in the main track.

One erasure pass appears to be sufficient to make old data unrecoverable. A two-pass erasure can provide an Figure 2. 20 MHz data overwritten by 10.5 MHz. Are the track additional level of security. Writing LF helps erase the edge peaks old 20 MHz data? track edges, and then overwriting with random data defeats exotic techniques (see later section of this article). The two passes can be slightly off-track in the positive and negative direction in order to ensure elimination of the track edges.

Secure erasure can take some time and is likely to be an off-line operation. For example, a 180 GB disk drive spinning at 7200 RPM with 24 heads and 24,247 tracks per disk surface a complete single-pass overwrite of all user blocks takes about 40 minutes. A double-pass overwrite of all user blocks takes about 80 minutes.

Secure Erasure Standards A SE feature has been added to the standard specifica- tions for disk drives, ATA for desktop or personal Figure 3. NO! The track edge peaks are primarily AC-erased computers, and SCSI for enterprise drives. These require transition noise.

24 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 wave overwrite tests are not meaningful indicators of information recovery. A spectrum analyzer can see -60 dB overwritten signals, but it can’t recover data. The CMRR technique requires reading a data block many times, computer averaging the playback waveforms, then erasing the block and re-recording the overwrite data to obtain its averaged playback waveform data, which is subtracted from the first waveform. The demonstration shown below merely means that it is possible, not that it is practical or will work on any drive. It requires knowing the data pattern being looked for, and also knowing the overwriting data pattern. So it "begs the question." It can be defeated by using a random data overwrite pattern.

Data recovery techniques showed that SE overwritten Figure 4. The original "helphelp" waveform and the residual user data is beyond recovery by normal drive read waveform 3 minus waveform 2. channels, but CMRR could recover overwritten user data by digital scope signal waveform averaging, software correlation techniques. These recording experi- ments were done on a spinstand using a dual stripe MR head 2.5 µm write width, 1.8 µm read width, 2500 Oe/0.65 Mrt disk. These had 38 dB overwrite and a playback noise floor -69 dB.

First a swath of tracks was DC erased, then arbitrary user bits "HELPHELP" were written, the playback waveform was averaged 100 times to improve SNR, and saved as waveform 1. Then a random bits overwrite, the same signal averaging, and saved as waveform 2. Another DC erase followed by overwriting with the same random bits and signal averaging is saved as waveform 3. Figure 5. Correlation detector worked! Matches Figure 4 shows the averaged initial playback waveform 1 highest peak. and the residual wave 3 minus wave 2. Not much residual signal left! Gordon Hughes is the Associate Director of the Center for Magnetic Recording Research at the University of California, San Diego. He is the principal investigator of the UCSD SMART Figure 5 shows results from a correlation detector. The project on disk drive failure prediction. He received his BS in residual correlation has a correct peak at zero offset, Physics and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Cal Tech. He which is about twice the second highest peak. This worked at Xerox PARC on magnetic recording research for disk drives, then joined Seagate Technology as Senior Director of indicates that "helphelphelphelp" is correctly detected Recording Technology. At Seagate he designed recording heads, (but a 2 to 1 signal-to-noise ratio means high error rate). disks, and systems, and was part of the development team that (When this was repeated with TWO random overwrites, established sputtered thin film disk media as today’s standard. He is a Fellow of the IEEE. Contact: 858-534-5317, correlation detection did not work.) [email protected], UCSD, La Jolla CA 90293-0401

Beyond these data recovery techniques which use drive Tom Coughlin is President of Coughlin Associates, a data hardware, other exotic techniques can be proposed such storage consulting firm. His current work encompasses as putting recorded discs into scanning magnetic force technology and market analysis and project consulting in data microscopes. It is easy to obtain pictures that appear to storage from components to data storage systems. He held engineering and engineering management positions at several show unerased track edge data. But no one has shown disk drive and drive component companies in the past such as complete recovery of a data sector, including the data Seagate, Maxtor, Micropolis, Nashua Computer Products, synchronization preamble, bit de-randomizer, partial Syquest, and Ampex. He has a BS in Physics and a Masters in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Materials Science from response and modulation codes, and error correction the University of Minnesota. He is a senior member of the IEEE code. and Adjunct Professor at . For more information see his web site www.tomcoughlin.com. Contact: 408-978-8184, [email protected].

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 25 Critical Dimension Metrology for Next Generation Thin-Film Recording Head Processes

Srinath Venkataram, Diamond Division, KLA-Tencor Corporation, USA

Requirements of increasing aerial density in the data TFH Critical Dimension Roadmap storage industry have led to the development of The roadmap illustrates that the shrink rate for TFH pole advanced Giant Magneto-resistive (GMR) and or line width is more dramatic than that of the semicon- Tunneling Magneto-resistive (TMR) head technology. ductor gate width. This provides TFH processes a Current thin film head (TFH) processes have resulted in challenge of having to quickly adapt to semiconductor rapidly decreasing writer and reader dimensions (pole technology know-how to achieve the production dates, widths) to sub-100 nm geometries, on par with the and to remain competitive. It is predictable that these International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors two technologies would see a synergy in some manner in (ITRS) roadmap, and poised to surpass the line-width the very near future. shrink rate. Metrology and Head Performance Metrics The attributes of pole width, thickness and alignment for these layers directly impact critical recording head Table 1 depicts critical TFH parameters and their performance metrics. For optimum process control, it is relevance as performance metrics. With areal density as important to control these parameters at wafer level and the driver, writer and reader, pole widths hold special have them correlate to final magnetic parameters. attention for process control. Figures 2 and 11 illustrate TFH wafer and slider process The question of who will be the bottleneck—the process flow, highlighting key process points where the above or the metrology—is always on the mind of a process engineer. It is shown here that metrology tools are well head parameters are measured. The approximate cost of positioned to address the process challenges for the a head in slider fabrication is twice its cost in wafer fab- oncoming technology nodes, but that there are other rication. The cost spirals fourfold by the time the head factors that will be required to be adapted to address the reaches its final integration point into the drive—thus the challenges. impetus to control early in the process to improve device yield and minimize cost of testing further down in the This article will focus on a generic TFH critical process flow. dimension roadmap, and its implications for sub- 100 nm pole width metrology are reviewed. Current metrology tools used in production for writer and reader pole widths are low electron voltage critical A subsequent article will provide defect inspection dimension scanning electron microscopes (CDSEM). requirements for these technology nodes. Examples of images for these layers are shown in Figures 3 to 6.

Measurements depicted in Figures 3 and 4 are standard measurements today. Those depicted in Figures 5 and 6 will become "the standard" for next-generation writer and reader control. The feasibility of this with one tool (or with a minimum number of tool sets) is important for controlling capital equipment investment costs. In addition, another important requirement is obtaining a statistically valid data set from every wafer required at this rework step in the photolithography cell.

This schema would reduce the need for cross-sectioning a much smaller sample set and making assumptions for the remaining wafer (a six-inch wafer comprised of approxi- mately 30,000 recording heads). For the writer, obtaining Figure 1. Generic TFH roadmap and ITRS roadmap the critical dimensions shown in Figure 5 would provide ITRS roadmap courtesy ITRS Metrology 2001 document data for resist thickness, develop and exposure control

26 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 Table 1. Critical TFH parameters and their relevance as performance metrics

Parameters Head Performance Wafer Fab (Front end) Metrology Tool 1. Write and Read Pole Width Areal density, Overwrite, CDSEM, Optical Scatterometry and Angles Head Stability 2. Write Gap thickness Reluctance, Overwrite Spectroscopic Ellipsometry 3. Read Gap thickness Read back pulse, Overwrite Spectroscopic Ellipsometry 4. Shared Shield thickness Amplitude Contact Profiler 5. Bottom Shield thickness Noise Contact Profiler Figure 3. High aspect ratio 6. Write Pole thickness Pole tip saturation, Overwrite Contact Profiler sub-100 nm writer 7. Write to Read Offset (overlay) Cross-talk Optical Coherence Probe

(feed backward informa- applications such as in Line Edge Roughness tion) and pole plate and Figure 6 and extendable to Line Edge Roughness is an etch control (feed forward the metrology of Figure 5. additional process diag- information). For the nostic that will be required reader, obtaining the Sub-100 nm real time from the writer critical dimensions shown Dimensions and reader to quantify in Figure 6 would provide For dimensions in the sub- feature fidelity for data for resist thickness, 100 nm realm, differences screening parts at a develop, exposure and ion Figure 4. Low aspect ratio of a few nanometers rework stage in the pho- sub-100 nm reader milling control (feed between metrology tolithography module. backward information). systems and process Below the sub-100 nm Several technical papers changes will be difficult to node, pole width exist on this technique for decipher and to pinpoint dimension alone will not similar applications.1 root cause. Thus, more be the sole characteristic information beyond just a of process control, and CDSEM based techniques dimensional number will edge roughness will be a for this application will be be required. Examples of critical criterion for limited based on the angle such information for screening parts. As an of the structure and its assisting the process example, Figures 7 and 8 feasibility for production. engineer in smart root show two sets of wafer As an example, a CDSEM Figure 5. Cross-section of cause analysis and process CDSEM images for the based technique would be writer control will be obtained reader layer that have applicable for Figure 5, from line edge roughness varying edge roughness but challenging for Figure and yoke width measure- caused by bad processing. 6. An optical scatterome- ments. These are briefly In this case, the pole try based technique would reviewed below. widths would remain fit the mold readily for within process specifica- tion, but edge roughness could be used to screen the part. Not doing so would eventually lead to scrapping the part in slider fabrication at a much Figure 6. Cross-section of higher cost investment. reader Yoke Width Metrology Yoke Width Metrology is Image-based metrology an important measurement techniques, in association that controls the overwrite with a high-resolution pro- parameter for the head. duction CDSEM, make This feature can only be this measurement feasible. measured and controlled Figure 2. Wafer Fabrication Process Flow during wafer fabrication. continued on page 28

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 27 continued from page 27 Table 2. Example data set for wafer fabrication measurements

Table 2 provides an Feature Metrology Tool Average 3 Sigma Capability example data set for mea- Dimension Repeatability (P/T) surements for Figures 3 Writer pole width CDSEM ~ 80 nm < 4 nm through 9. Reader pole width ~ 50 nm

Finally, next-generation Reader pole width Optical Scatterometry < 1 nm <20% Figure 9. Yoke width metrology process control require- Angle metrology ~ 80 degrees < 1 degree ments dictate the Line edge roughness CDSEM ~ 10 nm < 1 nm integration of automated closed loop control schema Yoke width CDSEM ~ 1000 nm < 10 nm between the metrology and

the lithography equipment. It is to be noted that at the slider rowbar level It has been shown2 that metrology—ALL the measurements shown in the wafer this eliminates the human process flow metrology—can be done on a single variable of adjusting the metrology tool, the production CDSEM. Examples of process equipment. An this measurement are shown in Figures 12 through 14. example of this schema with a stepper/track and a Thus, it is a critical juncture in the process flow to CDSEM is illustrated in screen quality parts before incurring incremental costs to Figure 10 below. them once they are cut into individual sliders. This feedback to the wafer process engineer to establish data Figure 7. LHS line edge Rowbar level metrology, correlations are relevant for next generation process roughness on reader layer in especially on the reader control and yield improvements. Such data feedback wafer fabrication width and angles, will be a with correlations to magnetic track width and overwrite next-generation product have been evaluated.3 requirement. This provides metrology and inspection capability for quick feedback which otherwise requires a destructive test. Smart sampling strategies will be integrated with metrology data from wafer fabrication (feed forward information) and the Figure 8. RHS line edge ensuing results can be fed roughness on reader layer in back to the wafer process Figure 10. Automated feedback to process equipment wafer fabrication to close the loop.

Figure 9. Yoke width metrology

Figure 11. Slider fabrication process flow

28 INSIGHT • Summer 2002 Summary Next generation CDSEMs are positioned to address the reviewed requirements. A new optical scatterometry technique, based on first principles, will make inroads since it has the advantages of multiple measurements, namely, angle, and thickness and line width with a single measurement. The disadvantages are that measurements are made on test targets (unlike CDSEM measurements) and that accurate models are required to match the physical structure. The combination of these two tools will be adopted to address the challenges. In addition, Figure 12. Low Figure 13. High magnification slider image process control for next generation will require new magnification writer image sampling schema, qualitative metrics for the feature of interest beyond just a dimensional value and closed loop control methodologies. Footnotes 1. Proceedings of SPIE 2000, volume 3998, pages 125 - 157 2. Papers from AEC/APC X11 CD Conference Proceedings, Sept. 2000. 3. 2-D Image based applications for TFH Methrology, Proceedings from SPIE 2002. Srinath Venkataram is the Senior Marketing Manager for the Diamond (Data Storage) Division at KLA-Tencor. He has been with Figure 14. High KLA-Tencor for the last seven years in magnification reader image various positions of applications and marketing. Prior to this he worked at Applied Magnetics Corporation, a recording head manufacturer, as a Process Development Engineer. Srinath holds an M.S.EE degree from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. View Engineering Ad

Summer 2002 • INSIGHT 29 Is your link to critical data storage information broken?

Strengthen your information chain by linking with IDEMA® —the trade association for the data storage industry.

Don’t let your organization be weakened by inaccurate data— stay current on storage trends by fortifying your information chain by renewing your IDEMA membership.

IDEMA membership provides data storage professionals with access to technical events at a discounted rate! Now, more than ever, we are responding to the concerns of our members by keeping our fees for events and membership affordable. Our renewal fees are based on a sliding scale and each paid corporate membership entitles every employee of that company to full member benefits! Position yourself next to leading experts and top-level executives and renew your IDEMA membership today!

If you want to communicate and network with the decision-makers and technological leaders in the data storage industry, renew your membership today!. Call 408.330.8100 to learn more.

3255 Scott Blvd., Suite 2-102, Santa Clara, CA 95054 tel 408.330.8100 • fax 408.492.1425 • www.idema.org IDEMA and DISKCON are registered trademarks of the International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association. 12.10.01 KnowledgeTek – MORE THAN GREAT TRAINING!TRAINING SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA LONGMONT, COLORADO July 9-10 Synchronous Recording July 16-17 iSCSI Channels - PRML July 22-23 IDE, the Nuts and Bolts July 22-23 iSCSI July 30-31 Perpendicular Recording Aug. 5-7 Serial Attached SCSI Technology Aug. 19-21 Disk Drive Technology Aug. 7-9 Disk Drive Technology Aug. 22-23 Perpendicular Recording Aug. 20-22 Serial Attached SCSI SAN,SAN, NAS,NAS, DISK,DISK, Technology Aug. 27-28 Perpendicular Recording TAPE,TAPE, DVDDVD Sept. 23-24 IDE/ATA Technology Sept. 25-26 Serial ATA, the Nuts Sept. 18-20 1394 Interface and Bolts REGISTER AT 303-456-1800 OR ONLINE AT WWW.KNOWLEDGETEK.COM

SAN JOSE CONVENTION CENTER AT DISKCON Sept. 17 Serial ATA Overview Sept. 18 Data Storage: The Cutting Edge 2002 Sept. 19 Perpendicular Recording Technology Overview REGISTER AT 408-330-8100 OR ONLINE AT WWW.IDEMA.ORG

BASIC COURSES INTERFACE COURSES •Disk Drive Basics •VERY SOON Serial •Disk Drive Silicon Basics Attached SCSI •Head Manufacturing Basics •COMING InfiniBand •PRML Basics •VERY SOON Ethernet •Storage System (SAN) Basics •Fibre Channel •Media Manufacturing Basics •Fibre Channel in Practice •Head Disk Interface Basics •Serial ATA Overview •GMR Head Basics •Serial ATA, The Nuts and Bolts •CD-ROM Basics •IDE, The Nuts and Bolts •Interface Basics •ATAPI •SCSI, The Nuts and Bolts TECHNOLOGY COURSES •Customized SCSI •NEW Perpendicular •iSCSI Recording Technology •Hands-On SCSI •NEW Precision Cleaning •Data Storage Interfaces for Disk Drives •1394 •Disk Drive Technology •The Cutting Edge 2002 STORAGE SYSTEMS •Synchronous Recording AND OTHER COURSES Channels–PRML •Marketing Fibre Channel / •PRML Lab SAN Systems •Disk Drive Servo •SANs and SAN Management •Disk Drive Servo Overview •Fibre Channel and SAN Systems •DVD Technology •PCMCIA •Tape Storage Technology •Hands-On Fibre Channel/ •Magnetic Recording SAN Systems Technology •The Write Process •GMR Head Technology CUSTOM COURSEWARE •Media Noise DEVELOPMENT •Head/Disk Interface: •Fast, timely, on point and Advanced Tribology affordable •CD-ROM Technology

PRODUCT SPECIFIC TRAINING • YOUR Training Materials • YOUR Training Equipment • YOUR Sites • OUR Instructors

KnowledgeTek, Inc THE POWER OF LEARNING Technical Training Seminars 7085 West 119th Place For more information about all of KnowledgeTek’s courses Broomfield, CO 80020 call us TOLL-FREE at 1-877-465-1800 or visit our website TOLL-FREE 1-877-465-1800 at www.knowledgetek.com www.knowledgetek.com Veeco: Integrated Process Equipment and Metrology Solutions for Next Generation GMR and TMR.

Abutted Junction (Hard Bias)

Abutted Junction (Hard Bias) Abutted Junction (Exchange Tab) Abutted Junction Lead (Exchange Tab) Overlay

Hard Bias Shield Layers PVD Metal

Free Layer

Substrate TMR Device

GMR Specular Spin Valve

KEY APPLICATIONS Highest Yield and Areal Density.

Process Equipment Fastest Time-to-Market. • Abutted junction deposition and etch (hard bias and Veeco's data storage solutions help you bring new device designs to high-volume exchange tab) production quickly, with better quality than ever before. Higher uniformity and • CIP-GMR and NOL repeatability, sub-Ångstrom film thickness control and industry-leading technologies sensor deposition like GCIB and PVD ensure high wafer yields. Comprehensive wafer-to-HGA • CPP-GMR, TMR sensor deposition metrology lets you monitor critical dimensions and detect defects early in the process. Combined measure-and-adjust systems can even return out-of-spec Metrology HGAs to production to maximize yield. Together, Veeco metrology and process • Slider and pole tip defects equipment provide a platform that will maximize your next generation GMR and • Critical pole dimensions TMR programs. To get complete information, contact us today. • Wafer magnetic properties

www.veeco.com/datastorage 1.888.24.VEECO