Abstract: A structure for high performance perpendicular magnetic recording media has a substrate with a plurality of sequential layers including an adhesion layer, a first soft underlayer (SUL), a coupling layer, a second SUL, a seed layer, a Ru layer, and an onset layer; at least one oxide layer on the onset layer and having a composition with graded anisotropy to improve overwrite of the media; an exchange coupling layer (ECL) on the at least one oxide layer; a cap layer; a decoupling-controlled layer between the ECL and the cap layer to reduce lateral exchange coupling in the cap layer on the ECL; and a carbon overcoat on the cap layer.