1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetic-transfer methods, magnetic recording media, and magnetic recording devices, and particularly to a magnetic-transfer method suitable for transferring a magnetic information pattern, such as format information, from a master disc to a magnetic disc to be utilized in a hard disc device, or the like, a magnetic recording medium manufactured through the method, and a magnetic recording device including the magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, magnetic discs (hard discs) to be utilized in hard disc drives, which have rapidly spread in recent years, are delivered from a magnetic disc manufacturer to a drive manufacturer, and then format and address information items are written onto the magnetic discs before they are integrated in drives. The writing can be executed through a magnetic head; however, it is efficient and preferable to collectively transfer the format and address information items from a master disc onto which the information items have been written to a magnet disc.
In the magnetic-transfer technology, with a master disc and a transfer-recipient disc (slave disc) being closely contacted to each other, by providing magnetic-field generation devices, such as an electromagnet device or a permanent magnet device, at one side, or at both side, of the combined discs to apply a transfer magnet field, a magnetization pattern corresponding to information (e.g., a servo signal) that the master disc has is transferred.
To date, various proposals have been implemented for a magnetic-transfer technology as such (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-251723). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-251723 proposes that, in implementing magnetic transfer, the application angle of a transfer magnet field be within ±30° from the direction vertical to the surface of a slave disc. Accordingly, an effect is allegedly demonstrated in which the transfer magnet field can accurately be applied along the track.