Patent ID: 8038797

Claim:
An apparatus for manufacturing a plurality of magnetic recording media comprising: a deposition device that forms a plurality of layers, including a magnetic layer, on each of a plurality of insulating substrates, each of which has a center hole; a carrier that holds the plurality of insulating substrates, the carrier having a plurality of supports each for supporting one of the plurality of insulating substrates at a predetermined position, wherein each of the plurality of supports includes a movable member that is contactable with the outer periphery of one of the insulating substrates; and a shift mechanism including: a plurality of first members each comprising first and second pivoting members insertable into the center hole of one of the insulating substrates for holding and releasing the one insulating substrate from inside the respective center hole, and for rotating the one insulating substrate; a plurality of second members each for engaging one of the movable members and releasing the movable member from contact with the respective outer periphery of the one insulating substrate; a rotational shaft; a plurality of cams provided on the rotational shaft; and a transmission mechanism that transmits rotation of the cams to move both the first and second members, wherein the cams and the transmission mechanism allow the second members to release the movable members from contact with the insulating substrates and allow the first members to hold and rotate the insulating substrates successively as the rotational shaft is rotated so that each of the movable members contacts a first portion of one of the insulating substrate while each of the insulating substrates is in the predetermined position and contacts a second portion different from the first portion following the rotation of the substrates to a different position, to enable each of the movable members to contact part of the respective substrate having been deposited with a previously formed layer.