Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a magnetic recording layer made of a Co alloy or a CoCr alloy, a seed layer disposed between the substrate and the magnetic recording layer, and an underlayer made of a binary alloy material having a B2 structure and disposed between the seed layer and the magnetic recording layer. The seed layer is made of a material comprising essentially of one of elements forming the binary alloy material of the underlayer.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is constructed to include a lower magnetic layer, a nonmagnetic spacer layer disposed on the lower magnetic layer, and an upper magnetic layer disposed on the nonmagnetic spacer layer, where the upper and lower magnetic layers are antiferromagnetically coupled. The lower magnetic layer comprises a stabilization layer and a lower enhancement layer disposed between the stabilization layer and the nonmagnetic spacer layer, and the stabilization layer and the lower enhancement layer are ferromagnetically exchange coupled. The stabilization layer and the lower enhancement layer are made of CoCr alloys such that a Pt content of the stabilization layer is higher than that of the lower enhancement layer.