Patterned media fabricated by lithography and argon-ion milling

Using continuous film prepared by lower gas sputtering, a dot array with a more stable single domain was achieved. The requirements for magnetic properties of patterned media were different from that of perpendicular continuous-film media. The switching field distribution in dot arrays depends on fluctuation in dot size. The smallest size of dot arrays, fabricated by most simple method as lithography and ion-milling, is 50 nm.