Magnetic recording medium and method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium

摘要

[PROBLEMS] To appropriately form a DTR medium, a patterned medium, or the like in a manner less likely to cause the problems of prolonged process time and increased cost.;[MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A perpendicular magnetic recording layer 22 has a plurality of tracks 102 which define recording regions extending in a scanning direction of a magnetic head and which are arranged in parallel in a direction intersecting with the scanning direction. The perpendicular magnetic recording layer 22 has a guard band region 104 formed on its surface and provided with a groove portion 202 which extends along the tracks 102. In a cross-section of the perpendicular magnetic recording layer 22 taken along a plane perpendicular to the scanning direction, the maximum depth D of the groove portion 202 is in the range of 0.5 to 10 nm with reference to an average height (broken line 302) of the tracks 102 between which the groove portion 202 is interposed. The average height is obtained in the vicinity of the centers of the tracks 102 in a widthwise direction. The width W of a region of the groove portion 202 having a depth equal to or greater than ½ of the maximum depth is in the range of 5 to 30% of a track pitch.

主权项

1. A magnetic recording medium comprising a substrate and a magnetic recording layer formed on the substrate, wherein:
the magnetic recording layer, comprising a primary recording layer for recording magnetic signals and an auxiliary recording layer magnetically coupled with the primary recording layer, having a different composition from the primary recording layer and having a smaller thickness or coercive force than the primary recording layer, has a plurality of tracks which define recording regions extending in a scanning direction of a magnetic head and which are arranged in parallel in a direction intersecting with the scanning direction; the magnetic recording layer being provided with a groove portion which is formed at least in the auxiliary recording layer but not extending through the primary recording layer in a region between the tracks on the surface of the magnetic recording layer and which extends along the tracks; and the groove portion being formed so that, in a cross-section of the magnetic recording layer taken along a plane perpendicular to the scanning direction:
the maximum depth of the groove portion is in the range of 0.5 to 10 nm with reference to an average height of the tracks between which the groove portion is interposed, the average height being obtained in the vicinity of the centers of the tracks in a widthwise direction, andthe width of a region of the groove portion having a depth equal to or greater than ½ of the maximum depth is in the range of 10-15% of a track pitch which is a distance between the centers of adjacent ones of the tracks in the widthwise direction.