PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIUM AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

摘要

A method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium can suppress the increase in head spacing and decrease in magnetic anisotropy of a magnetic layer. The method includes forming the magnetic recording layer and a protective layer precursor. The magnetic recording layer includes crystal grains of an ordered alloy and a grain boundary layer constituted by carbon and is formed on the non-magnetic substrate by a sputtering method using a target including metals constituting the ordered alloy and carbon. The protective layer precursor is constituted by carbon and is present on the magnetic recording layer. The method further includes irradiating the protective layer precursor with hydrocarbon ions generated by plasma discharge in a hydrocarbon gas and changing the protective layer precursor into the protective layer. The hydrocarbon ions have energy equal to or higher than 300 eV when the hydrocarbon ions reach the protective layer precursor.