Abstract: A magnetic recording data storage system includes a magnetic recording medium having pits formed therein, the pits defining recording tracks on the magnetic recording medium and being arranged in a staggered manner relative to respective center lines of the recording tracks, a magnetic head including an inductive element for recording data on the recording tracks and a magnetoresistive element for reproducing data from the recording tracks, one of (1) a unit for magnetically producing a signal from the pits, and (2) an optical unit for optically producing a signal from the pits, the optical unit including a laser for illuminating the pits, servo means for positioning the head on the recording tracks based on the signal produced from the pits, the servo means including a dual-stage actuator including a rough movement portion and a fine movement portion.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium that uses, as a protective coating layer provided on a magnetic layer for magnetically recording signals, a layer made of a nonmagnetic material consisting of two ore more elements of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W, and one or more elements of N, C, O, and B, or made of a magnetic material consisting of one or more elements of Co, Fe, Ni, and Gd, one or more elements of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W, and one or more elements of N, C, O, B, and Si is excellent in sliding endurance. When the protective coating layer is made of the nonmagnetic material, the magnetic recording medium is also excellent in corrosion resistance, and when the protective coating layer is made of the magnetic material, the spacing between a magnetic head and the magnetic recording medium can advantageously be made large. Both the cases are high in reliability, and suitable for high density magnetic recording.

Abstract: Disclosed are longitudinal recording media comprising a composite magnetic film formed on a nonmagnetic substrate directly or through a nonmagnetic underlayer, in which all of magnetic thin films constituting the composite magnetic film are magnetically connected, the composite magnetic film has a single in-plane coercivity, and the in-plane coercivity is greater than the in-plane coercivity of a longitudinal magnetically anisotropic magnetic thin film constituting a magnetic thin film nearest to an information recording side among the magnetic thin films constituting the composite film.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium for longitudinal recording with a low media noise, a high S/N ratio and high reliabilities in corrosion resistance is disclosed. By making a magnetic layer from a Co-based alloy comprising 1 to 35 at. % of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pt and Ir, 1 to 17 at. % of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W. Ge and Si, except for Si, whose concentration is 1 to 40 at. %, and 0.1 to 10 at. % of oxygen, a magnetic recording medium for longitudinal recording having an inplane coercivity of 1,200 Oe or more and a coercive squares of not more than 0.85 is obtained.A process for producing the magnetic recording medium for longitudinal medium and a magnetic memory apparatus using the magnetic recording medium for longitudinal recording are also disclosed.

Abstract: A high-density magnetic recording and optical reproducing apparatus for magneto-optically reproducing information magnetically recorded on information tracks on a recording medium, the apparatus comprising two laser beam sources emitting laser beams having different wavelengths respectively, an optical system for directing the laser beams from the two laser beam sources toward and onto the recording medium so as to irradiate the recording medium with laser beam spots partly overlapping each other, two photo detectors detecting the laser beams reflected from the surface of the recording medium, and a differential amplifier detecting the difference between the output signals of the two photo detectors thereby generating the differential signal as a reproduced output.

Abstract: Disclosed are a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic recording layer formed of a magnetic thin film in which rotational hysteresis integral R.sub.H is within a range of from 0.4 to 1.3 in the measurement by a torque magnetometer, and a continuous magnetic recording medium in which crystal grains are substantially randomly arranged on the upper surface of a magnetic recording layer or on the surface of a non-magnetic subbing layer, and in which each of the crystal grains is made to be in the form of an ellipsoid or needle and to have a length-ways axial ratio of a major axis to a minor axis not smaller than 2, more preferably, not smaller than 4.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium in which a non-magnetic intermediate layer made of an alloy substantially composed of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Hf, Ta, Ti and Nb is disposed between a magnetic layer formed on a substrate and a non-magnetic overcoat layer formed on the magnetic layer. Since the impact shock resistance and the vibration resistance of the magnetic recording medium can be improved and the head-medium spacing of the magnetic disc apparatus can be decreased extremely by disposing the non-magnetic intermediate layer, it can provide a increase in the recording density, particularly, in a thin film type magnetic recording medium using a metallic magnetic thin film or metal oxide thin film as the magnetic layer. It can also improve the corrosion resistance in the case of a metallic magnetic thin film type medium.

Abstract: In a magnetic recording medium including an underlayer and a magnetic layer formed sequentially on a substrate, the underlayer is composed of a composite underlayer having an at least two-layered structure, the underlayer on the side of the substrate is made of a material providing low modulation to the magnetic recording medium while the underlayer on the side of the magnetic layer is made of a material providing a high S/N ratio to the medium. This makes it possible to obtain a magnetic recording medium having low modulation and high S/N ratio.