Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided with an hcp Co alloy magnetic layer with the crystallographic c-axes tilted at an angle from a substrate surface and fixed relative to a recording direction. The tilt is induced by epitaxial growth of the hcp Co alloy on an obliquely evaporated nonmagnetic polycrystalline underlayer, so that the magnetic recording medium exhibits thermal stability and improved overwrite with a single pole-type head.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided with a substrate, a recording magnetic layer made of a CoCr alloy and having a (1120) crystallographic texture, and an underlayer, made of an AlV or AlRuV alloy, disposed between the substrate and the magnetic layer.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided with at least two antiferromagnetically coupled magnetic layers on a VMn alloy underlayer on an amorphous-like seed layer. The underlayer may contain 55 at. % to 80 at. % V and the rest Mn. The seed layer may be made of the same material as the underlayer but reactively sputtered with N2, an alloy of Cr and Ti where Cr is 25 at. % to 60 at. % and the remainder Ti reactively sputtered with N2 or O2, or a pure Ti seed layer reactively sputtered with N2 or O2. The combination of the seed layer and underlayer improves magnetic layer c-axis in-plane orientation essential for a Synthetic Ferrimagnetic Media (SFM).

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.