Abstract: An anti-ferromagnetically coupled (“AFC”), high areal density magnetic recording medium of simplified thin film layer structure and having improved thermal stability and signal-to-medium noise ratio (“SMNR”) comprises a stack of thin film layers including, in overlying sequence from a surface of a non-magnetic substrate: (a) a non-magnetic seed layer (“SDL”); (b) at least one non-magnetic underlayer (“UL”); (c) a first ferromagnetic layer (“M1”); (d) a non-magnetic spacer layer (“SPL”); and (e) a second ferromagnetic layer serving as a magnetic recording layer (“M2”); wherein: the first ferromagnetic layer (c) serves as a combined interlayer (“IL”) and “bottom” magnetic layer (“BML”) and the non-magnetic spacer layer (d) provides RKKY-type coupling between the first ferromagnetic layer (c) and the second ferromagnetic layer (e) for stabilizing the medium via anti-ferromagnetic coupling

Abstract: A high areal recording density, anti-ferromagnetically coupled (“AFC”) perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises: a layer stack formed over the surface of a non-magnetic substrate (2), comprising, in overlying sequence: an underlayer (3) comprised of a magnetically soft ferromagnetic material; at least one non-magnetic interlayer (4); a perpendicularly anisotropic stabilization layer (6) comprised of a hard ferromagnetic material; a non-magnetic spacer layer (7); and a perpendicularly anisotropic main recording layer (5) comprised of a hard ferromagnetic material; wherein the perpendicularly anisotropic stabilization layer (6) and the perpendicularly anisotropic main recording layer (5) are anti-ferromagnetically coupled (AFC) across the non-magnetic spacer layer (7) to orient the magnetic moments thereof anti-parallel and thereby provide the medium with increased

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium having increased thermal stability and signal-to-medium noise ratio (SMNR), comprising a layer stack including, in sequence: (a) a continuous ferromagnetic layer; (b) a non-magnetic spacer layer; and (c) a discontinuous ferromagnetic layer; wherein the continuous ferromagnetic layer (a) and the discontinuous ferromagnetic layer (c) are ferromagnetically or anti-ferromagnetically coupled together across the non-magnetic spacer layer.

Abstract: An anti-ferromagnetically coupled (“AFC”), high areal density magnetic recording medium having improved thermal stability and signal-to-medium noise ratio (“SMNR”), comprising: (a) a non-magnetic substrate having at least one surface; and (b) a ferromagnetic recording layer comprising a layer stack overlying the at least one surface, the layer stack comprising a plurality of vertically spaced-apart ferromagnetic layers, the ferromagnetic layers being spaced-apart by respective non-magnetic spacer layers providing anti-ferromagnetic coupling (AFC) therebetween, the total exchange energy acting upon each of the ferromagnetic layers of the layer stack in the remanent state and their effective magnetic energies adjusted to provide opposing alignment of the magnetic moments of adjacent ferromagnetic layers of the stack.

Abstract: An anti-ferromagnetically coupled (AFC) magnetic recording medium having improved thermal stability and signal-to-medium noise ratio (SMNR), comprising: a non-magnetic substrate having at least one surface; and a layer stack overlying the at least one surface, the layer stack comprising at least one layer pair composed of first and second superposed, crystalline ferromagnetic layers spaced-apart by a crystalline non-magnetic spacer layer providing anti-ferromagnetic coupling (AFC) between the first and second ferromagnetic layers; wherein the lattice constants of the crystalline non-magnetic spacer layer are substantially matched to the lattice constants of each of the first and second crystalline ferromagnetic layers for obtaining a desired crystalline orientation and microstructure of said ferromagnetic layers without significantly degrading the interface exchange energy density J of the AFC.

Abstract: A high areal recording density magnetic recording medium having improved thermal stability comprises: a non-magnetic substrate having at least one surface; and a layer stack overlying the at least one surface, comprised of at least one layer pair composed of first and second superposed ferromagnetic layers spaced-apart by a magnetic coupling structure comprising a thin non-magnetic spacer layer and at least one thin ferromagnetic interface layer at at least one interface between the non-magnetic spacer layer and the superposed ferromagnetic layers; wherein the thickness of the ferromagnetic interface layer is selected to provide enhancement of the magnetic coupling between the pair of ferromagnetic layers, thereby increasing the thermal stability of the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: A high areal recording density, anti-ferromagnetically coupled (“AFC”) perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises: