Patterned magnetic storage medium
According to one embodiment, a patterned magnetic storage medium is disclosed herein. The magnetic storage medium includes a magnetic domain, a substantially non-magnetic region laterally adjacent to the magnetic domain, and an exchange spring structure disposed between the magnetic domain and the laterally adjacent non-magnetic region wherein the exchange spring structure comprises implanted ions.
1. A magnetic storage medium, comprising:
a magnetic domain comprising a first magnetic material having a first coercivity and a first magnetic moment density;
a substantially non-magnetic region laterally adjacent to the magnetic domain; and
an exchange spring structure surrounding sides of the magnetic domain, surrounding sides of the substantially non-magnetic region, and surrounding a bottom of the substantially non-magnetic region, the exchange spring structure being disposed between the magnetic domain and the non-magnetic region, wherein the exchange spring structure comprises a second magnetic material having a second coercivity and a second magnetic moment density, wherein the second coercivity is lower than the first coercivity, the second magnetic moment density is lower than the first magnetic moment density, or the second coercivity is lower than the first coercivity and the second magnetic moment density is lower than the first magnetic moment density.
2. The magnetic storage media of claim 1 , wherein the exchange spring structure comprises a vertical portion.
3. The magnetic storage media of claim 1 , wherein the exchange spring structure separates the magnetic domain from substantially any portion of the non-magnetic region.
4. The patterned magnetic storage media of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic domain and the non-magnetic region are formed substantially in a planar storage layer.
5. The magnetic storage media of claim 4 , wherein the exchange spring structure extends into the planar storage layer in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the planar storage layer.
6. The magnetic storage media of claim 5 , wherein the exchange spring structure comprises a substantially U-shaped cross-section.
7. The magnetic storage media of claim 1 , further comprising an exchange bridge, the exchange bridge comprising a magnetic material that extends between the magnetic domain and one or more additional magnetic domains.
8. The magnetic storage media of claim 7 , wherein the exchange bridge comprises a homogenous exchange bridge layer.
9. The magnetic storage media of claim 7 , wherein the exchange bridge comprises a non-uniform exchange bridge layer.
10. The magnetic storage media of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the exchange spring structure extends into the non-uniform exchange bridge layer.
11. The magnetic storage media of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of exchange bridges, each exchange bridge comprising a magnetic material that extends between the magnetic domain and one or more additional magnetic domains.
12. The magnetic storage media of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic domain comprises a perpendicular magnetic storage material.
13. The magnetic storage media of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic domain comprises a parallel magnetic storage material.
14. The magnetic storage media of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic domain is comprised in a magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) bit.
15. A magnetic disk drive system comprising:
a controller module;
a suspension arm;
a read/write head; and
a magnetic storage disk, the magnetic storage disk comprising a planar storage layer, the planar storage layer comprising a magnetic domain comprising a first magnetic material having a first coercivity and a first magnetic moment density, a substantially non-magnetic region laterally adjacent to the magnetic domain, and an exchange spring structure disposed between the magnetic domain and the non-magnetic region, the exchange spring structure being directly adjacent the substantially non-magnetic region and surrounding sides and a bottom of the substantially non-magnetic region, wherein the exchange spring structure comprises a second magnetic material having a second coercivity and a second magnetic moment density, wherein the second coercivity is lower than the first coercivity, the second magnetic moment density is lower than the first magnetic moment density, or the second coercivity is lower than the first coercivity and the second magnetic moment density is lower than the first magnetic moment density.