Abstract: An enhanced substrate for magnetic data storage devices incorporating a metallic thin film magnetic recording medium attached to the substrate by wet plating processes. In one embodiment the substrate is composed of a single phase alloy. The substrate can then be processed by conventional magnetic data storage device fabrication procedures with the resultant storage device having fewer surface coating irregularities and magnetic characteristic inconsistencies than conventional magnetic data storage devices. In an alternative embodiment a layer of a single phase alloy is first deposited onto a conventional substrate. The single phase alloy may be incorporated in both rigid storage devices where a magnetic data read-write head floats above the surface of the storage device or flexible magnetic storage devices in which the read-write head is in intimate contact with the storage device.