Reverse optical mastering for data storage disk stamper

• US 7,600,992 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2004
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Max Blu Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Imation Corporation (Glassbridge Enterprises, Inc.)
• Inventors: Edwards, Jathan D., Kerfeld, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker, Philip C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bodawala, Dimple N
• Application Number:
  US10/790,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20040231531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 425/43, 425/375, 425/810, 425/385, 425/403, 425/470, 264/106, 264/107, 264/1.33, 264/293, 369/111, 369/272.1, 369/275.3, 369/275, 369/279, 101/22, 101/28, 428/64.4, 216/41, 216/44, 216/54, 430/320, 430/321
• US Class Current: 425/385
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/0085 intermediate mediums using a photosensitive material, e.g. photo-resist
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/24 Record carriers characterised by shape, structure or physical properties, or by the selection of the material characterised by the arrangement of information on the carrier G11B7/007
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/24091 Combinations of pits and tracks with specific interrelation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/261 Preparing a master, e.g. exposing photoresist, electroforming
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/263 Preparing and using a stamper, e.g. pressing or injection molding substrates production of optical record carriers, e.g. optical discs B29D17/005
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 425/81 Sound record

Abstract

A date storage master disk and method of making a data storage master disk. The data storage disk master is for use in a data storage disk replication process. The data storage disk molding processes produces replica disks having a surface relief pattern with replica lands and replica grooves. The method includes providing a master substrate. The master substrate is at least partially covered with a layer of photosensitive material. A surface relief pattern having master lands and master grooves is recorded in the data storage disk master, including the steps of exposing and developing the photosensitive material is controlled to form master grooves extending down to a substrate interface between the master substrate and the layer of photosensitive material, such that the width of the master grooves at the substrate interface corresponds to a desired width of the replica lands.

Claims

1. A stamper for use in creating replica disk substrates comprising:

a stamper surface defining a data layer; and

a stamper pattern formed in the data layer defined by adjacent stamper lands and stamper grooves, wherein the stamper grooves extend down into the stamper surface, wherein the stamper grooves define stamper groove bottoms and the stamper lands define stamper land tops, wherein the stamper groove bottoms are wider than the stamper land tops and a stamper track pitch is less than 425 nanometers.

2. The stamper of claim 1, wherein the stamper groove bottoms are generally flat and coplanar.

3. The stamper of claim 1, wherein the stamper grooves define a groove depth which is greater than 50 nanometers.

4. The stamper of claim 1, wherein widths of the stamper groove bottoms are greater than 100 nanometers.

5. The stamper of claim 4, wherein the widths of the stamper groove bottoms are greater than 250 nanometers.

6. The stamper of claim 1, wherein the stamper is a second-generation stamper created from a first-generation stamper, which was in turn created from a master disk, wherein the master disk includes a master pattern like the stamper pattern of the second-generation stamper.

7. A second-generation stamper for use in creating replica disk substrates, the second-generation stamper being created from a first-generation stamper, which was in turn created from a master disk, wherein the master disk includes a master pattern that was defined by a mastering process, the second-generation stamper comprising:

a stamper surface defining a data layer; and

a stamper pattern formed in the data layer defined by adjacent stamper lands and stamper grooves, wherein the stamper grooves extend down into the stamper surface, wherein the stamper pattern defines a track pitch less than 2 multiplied by a laser spot size associated with a laser used to perform the mastering process to define the master pattern of the master disk, wherein the tack pitch is less than 425 nanometers and a width of bottoms of the stamper grooves is greater than 25 percent of the track pitch.

8. The second-generation stamper of claim 7, wherein the width of the bottoms of the stamper grooves is greater than 35 percent of the track pitch.

9. The second-generation stamper of claim 7, wherein the stamper pattern defines stamper lands and stamper grooves and wherein the stamper grooves define bottoms that are flat and coplanar and wherein the stamper groove bottoms include sharp corners.

10. The second-generation stamper of claim 7, wherein the track pitch is less than 1.6 multiplied by the laser spot size.

11. A stamper for use in creating replica disk substrates, the stamper comprising:

a stamper surface defining a data layer; and

a stamper pattern formed in the data layer defined by adjacent stamper lands and stamper grooves, wherein the stamper grooves extend down into the stamper surface, wherein the stamper grooves define stamper groove bottoms and the stamper lands define stamper land tops, and wherein a track pitch of the stamper pattern is less than 425 nanometers and a width of the stamper groove bottoms is greater than 25 percent of the track pitch.

12. The stamper of claim 11, wherein the stamper groove bottoms are flat and coplanar and wherein the stamper groove bottoms include sharp corners.

13. The stamper of claim 11, wherein the stamper grooves define a groove depth between 20 and 120 nanometers.

14. The stamper of claim 11, wherein the width of the groove bottoms is greater than 35 percent of the track pitch.

15. The stamper of claim 14, wherein the width of the groove bottoms is greater than 50 percent of the track pitch.

16. The stamper of claim 11, wherein the stamper is a second-generation stamper created from a first-generation stamper, which was in turn created from a master disk, wherein the master disk includes a master pattern like the stamper pattern of the second-generation stamper.