Patent ID: 7313930

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a glass substrate for a storage medium by arranging and pressing a glass material between an upper die and a lower die to form a glass substrate, said method comprising: a heating step of heating said glass material remaining arranged between said upper die and said lower die; a pressing step of pressing said heated glass material via said upper and lower dies to precisely transfer molding surfaces of said upper and lower dies to the glass material to form a desired substrate; and a cooling step of having, after said pressing step, an upper cooling member contact said upper die and a lower cooling member contact said lower die to cool said dies with said molded glass material remaining arranged between said upper die and said lower die, and wherein during said heating step and said pressing step, a vacuum atmosphere is maintained in a space containing said dies and said glass material, and wherein when said pressing step has completed, an inert gas is filled in said space to set a pressure in said space equal to an ambient pressure, before said cooling step is executed.