Patent ID: 7106531

Claim:
A method of forming a pattern of magnetized regions in the magnetic recording layer of a rigid magnetic recording disk comprising: providing a magnetic recording disk comprising a rigid substrate and a magnetic recording layer on the substrate having an annular portion magnetized in the plane of the recording layer in a first circular direction; providing a substantially planar master template having a plurality of magnetic islands, each island comprising first and second ferromagnetic films separated by an antiferromagnetically coupling (AFC) film; positioning the recording disk in contact with the template with the recording layer facing the islands on the template, each island thereby facing an adjacent recording layer region; applying an external magnetic field substantially in the plane of the recording layer in a direction opposite to said first direction to thereby orient the magnetization directions of the first and second ferromagnetic films in each island to be substantially parallel to one another and to the applied field, whereby each island generates a magnetic field that substantially opposes the applied field in its adjacent recording layer region; moving the external magnetic field around the disk to reverse the magnetization direction of the regions of the recording layer between the regions of the recording layer facing the islands; and removing the external magnetic field, thereby allowing residual magnetization in the first ferromagnetic films to be oriented antiparallel to residual magnetization in the second ferromagnetic films in the islands as a result of antiferromagnetic coupling across the AFC films, whereby the magnetic islands have essentially no net magnetic moment following removal of the external magnetic field.