Patent ID: 8187452

Claim:
A method comprising: establishing a layer stack overlying a substrate surface, the layer stack comprising at least one magnetic recording layer; shielding a first section of the recording layer, to establish a magnetic recording region; and exposing a second section of the recording layer to selective anodic removal of a first element from the second section, wherein the exposing comprises electrolytically removing ions from the first element by situating the at least one magnetic recording layer in a predetermined electrolyte in the presence of an electrode, the electrolyte comprises one of MCl, MBr, MI, MNO 3 , MHSO 4 , M 2 SO 4 , MH 2 PO 4 , M 2 HPO 4 , and MClO 4 , wherein M comprises one of Na + , K + , and NH 4 + , and the exposing establishes a plurality of recording domains and a non-magnetic separating region.