Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer formed on the substrate, and containing at least one element selected from the group A consisting of Pt, Pd, Rh, Ag, Au, Ir and Fe, and at least one element or compound selected from the group B consisting of C, Ta, Mo, W, Nb, Zr, Hf, V, Mg, Al, Zn, Sn, In, Bi, Pb, Cd, SiO2, MgO, Al2O3, TaC, TiC, TaN, TiN, B2O3, ZrO2, In2O3 and SnO2, and a magnetic layer formed on the underlayer, containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co, and Ni, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Au and Ir, and containing crystal grains having an L10 structure.

Abstract: A recording medium has a substrate and a recording layer having isolation regions including crossed linear regions and substantially polygonal sections defined by the crossed linear regions, each of the sections containing particles of a recording material arrayed in a regular lattice. The linear regions of the isolation regions are formed along lowest-indexed planes of the regular lattice formed by the particles of the recording material.

Abstract: A method of patterning magnetic material includes forming a ferromagnetic material layer containing one element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co and Ni on a substrate, selectively masking a surface of the ferromagnetic material layer, and making nonferromagnetic. The making nonferromagnetic step includes exposing an exposed portion in halogen-containing reaction gas, changing magnetism of the exposed portion and a lower layer thereof by chemical reaction, and making the exposed portion a nonferromagnetic material region. A magnetic recording medium is fabricated by using the magnetic material patterning method and includes a plurality of recording regions made of ferromagnetic materials, each containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co and Ni, and a nonferromagnetic material region for separating the recording regions from each other. The nonferromagnetic material region is a compound region of the ferromagnetic material and halogen.

Abstract: A recording medium includes a substrate, and a recording layer formed on the substrate having (a) a recording track band, and (b) recording cells regularly arrayed in the recording track band to form a plurality rows of sub-tracks. The recording cells included in each sub-track are formed apart from each other at a pitch P in the track direction. Nearest neighboring two recording cells, each positioned on adjacent two sub-tracks in the track band, are formed apart from each other at a pitch P/n in the track direction, where 2≦n≦5.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pattern forming method including the steps of forming a first thin film on an object to be etched, forming a first surface region and a second surface region on a surface of the object by modifying or removing a portion of the first thin film, the first and second surface regions differing from each other in the surface state, forming a second thin film on the first surface region by utilizing the difference in the surface state between the first and second surface regions, the second thin film being amorphous and thicker than the first thin film, and etching the object using the second thin film as an etching mask.

Abstract: A recording medium comprising a hydrophilic film formed on a substrate, recording domains formed directly on the hydrophilic film so as to form a predetermined pattern, each recording domain being made of an organic dye molecule and having a size of 50 nm or less, and an isolation region surrounding the recording domains, the isolation region being made of an organic molecular film.

Abstract: This invention is characterized in that information is recorded by injecting electric charge into a charge holding region made from a donor or acceptor, and the recorded information is reproduced by using changes in luminescence characteristics of the luminescent material contained in the charge holding region or a light emitting region formed near the charge holding region, that occur in accordance with the charge condition of the charge holding region.

Abstract: A recording medium includes an underlying conductor layer, an insulating layer formed on the underlying conductor layer, and a recording layer formed with a domain structure on the insulating layer, wherein the recording layer contains a domain constituent material and an impurity whose molar ratio to the domain constituent material is 10% or lower, and the highest occupied molecular orbital of the impurity is higher in energy than the highest occupied molecular orbital of the domain constituent element, or the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the impurity is lower in energy than the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the domain constituent material.