Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided in which recording elements and concave portions have a clear difference in terms of magnetism at the boundaries therebetween, and which has favorable production efficiency. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern serving as recording elements; and a filler portion filling a concave portion between the recording elements. A center part of a bottom surface of the concave portion protrudes from edge parts of the bottom surface of the concave portion in a direction away from the substrate.

Abstract: A magnetic recording-reproducing apparatus includes: a magnetic recording medium in which portions corresponding to track portions serve as recording areas and in which portions between the recording areas serve as non-recording areas; and a magnetic head having a main pole and a side shield disposed on both sides of the main pole in a cross-track direction. In the magnetic recording-reproducing apparatus, following inequality (I) is satisfied: S>Tw/2+Gw??(I) where Tw is a track width, Gw is a gap width, and S is a distance between the center of the main pole of the magnetic head and an edge on the main pole side of each of the side shields.

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate and a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, the recording layer including recording elements each formed as a convex portion of the recording layer. Surface steps are formed in an outer area including a radially outermost portion of a recording area. Each surface step is formed in such a manner that a portion over a concave portion between the recording elements is recessed toward the substrate to a level below a portion over the recording element. The surface steps are formed such that the recording area can be sectioned into an annular area adjoining the outer area and the outer area where height of the surface steps is larger than that in the annular area.

Abstract: Data track patterns and servo patterns are formed on an information recording medium by concave/convex patterns divided into ring-shaped regions that are concentric with the data track patterns. In the servo patterns, a unit convex length and a unit concave length along the direction of rotation increase in each ring-shaped region from an inside to an outside of the ring-shaped region in proportion to the distance from the center of the data track patterns and a value produced by dividing an average unit convex (or concave) length inside each ring-shaped region by a distance from the center to the ring-shaped region decreases toward the outer periphery of the medium. The ring-shaped regions include plural first regions between an innermost region and an outermost region. Respective lengths along a radial direction of the first regions increase toward an outer periphery of the medium.

Abstract: Data track pattern regions, in which data track patterns are formed by concave/convex patterns, and servo pattern regions, in which servo patterns are formed by concave/convex patterns, are provided on a magnetic recording medium so as to be alternately disposed in a circumferential direction. At least one predetermined region that differs to the data track pattern regions is provided between two servo pattern regions that are adjacent in a circumferential direction. A concave/convex pattern including a plurality of first convex parts formed continuously in a radial direction is formed in each predetermined region.

Abstract: There is provided a stamper on which stamper-side concave/convex patterns are formed and which is capable of manufacturing an information recording medium on which at least servo patterns are formed by concave/convex patterns. First convex parts that are continuously formed along a direction corresponding to a radial direction of the information recording medium are formed in the stamper-side concave/convex patterns. Each of the first convex parts is formed so that a height of a part of the first convex part from a reference plane, which is set between a front surface and a rear surface of the stamper, to protruding end of the first convex part increases as a length of the part of the first convex part in a direction corresponding to a circumferential direction of the information recording medium increases.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided in which recording elements and concave portions have a clear difference in terms of magnetism at the boundaries therebetween, and which has favorable production efficiency. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern serving as recording elements; and a filler portion filling a concave portion between the recording elements. A center part of a bottom surface of the concave portion protrudes from edge parts of the bottom surface of the concave portion in a direction away from the substrate.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus includes: a rotary-type magnetic recording medium including a track pattern with concentric or spiral data recording tracks; a composite magnetic head including a reproducing element that reads magnetic signals from the medium and a recording element that writes magnetic signals on the medium; a control unit that moves the magnetic head over the medium to carry out tracking servo control on the reproducing element or the recording element to keep the element on a desired track; and a storage unit that stores offset information that specifies offsets for calculating an adjustment used to adjust a head position of the magnetic head during tracking servo control. The stored offset information specifies at least two different offsets per revolution of the medium. During tracking servo control, the control unit changes the adjustment at least once per revolution of the medium in accordance with offsets specified based on the offset information.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium is provided, which can manufacture a magnetic recording medium that includes a recording layer having a concavo-convex pattern and has a sufficiently flat surface. The method includes the steps of: forming an object to be processed including a recording layer having a predetermined concavo-convex pattern formed over a substrate and a first mask layer (temporary underlying material) formed at least on recording elements (convex portions) of the recording layer; depositing a filling material on the object to be processed to fill concave portions; removing a part of the filling material by dry etching to expose at least side faces of the first mask layer; and removing the first mask layer by an etching method in which an etching rate of the first mask layer is higher than that of the filling material to flatten a surface.

Abstract: In a magnetic recording medium including a servo pattern region having a servo pattern formed of a concave/convex pattern having convex portions and concave portions and a data recording region, the region having a data track pattern, the convex portions are formed in an address pattern region of the servo pattern region such that the maximum opening lengths, which are located in the respective same radius regions of the respective opening lengths along the rotating direction of a substrate of the concave portions constituting the concave/convex pattern are set to first lengths that are double the minimum opening lengths along the rotating direction of the concave portions in the respective same radius regions. With this arrangement, the magnetic recording medium can securely read a magnetic signal and has a servo pattern having excellent surface smoothness.

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate and a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, and the recording layer includes recording elements each formed as a convex portion of the recording layer. Surface steps are formed in an inner area including a radially innermost portion of a recording area. Each surface step is formed in such a manner that a portion over a concave portion between the recording elements is recessed toward a substrate to a level below a portion over the recording element. The surface steps are formed such that the recording area can be sectioned into an annular area adjoining the inner area and the inner area where height of the surface steps is larger than that in the annular area.

Abstract: In an information recording medium where respective concave parts of a magnetic layer, which is formed on at least one side e of a substrate and in which a predetermined convex/concave pattern has been formed, are filled with non-magnetic material and non-magnetic layers are formed by the non-magnetic material in at least partial regions of respective upper surfaces of respective convex parts of the magnetic layer, the non-magnetic layers are formed so that parts thereof protrude further in a direction in which the convex parts protrude than other parts of the non-magnetic layers.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided which has good recording/reproducing characteristics with a recording layer divided in a number of recording elements by a predetermined concavo-convex pattern, and a manufacturing method that enables efficient manufacture of such a magnetic recording medium. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a soft magnetic layer formed over the substrate, a recording layer formed over the soft magnetic layer such as to have magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to surface, and being divided in a number of recording elements by a predetermined concavo-convex pattern, and a non-magnetic intermediate layer formed between the recording layer and the soft magnetic layer. The recording elements are formed to have a predetermined track shape in a data region.

Abstract: Data track patterns and servo patterns are formed on an information recording medium by concave/convex patterns divided into ring-shaped regions that are concentric with the data track patterns. In the servo patterns, a unit convex length and a unit concave length along the direction of rotation increase in each ring-shaped region from an inside to an outside of the ring-shaped region in proportion to the distance from the center of the data track patterns and a value produced by dividing an average unit convex (or concave) length inside each ring-shaped region by a distance from the center to the ring-shaped region decreases toward the outer periphery of the medium. The ring-shaped regions include plural first regions between an innermost region and an outermost region. Respective lengths along a radial direction of the first regions increase toward an outer periphery of the medium.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus includes: a magnetic recording medium on which data track patterns are formed in data track pattern regions by a pattern with recording regions and non-recording regions and on which servo patterns are formed in servo pattern regions by the pattern; a recording head that writes signals on the medium; a reproducing head that reads signals written on the medium; and a control unit that controls the writing of signals by the recording head and the reading of signals by the reproducing head and measures a predetermined parameter for at least one of the recording head and the reproducing head by writing and reading measurement signals on the medium.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided that includes a recording layer having recording elements formed as convex portions and a filling material filled within the concave portions between the recording elements. The medium is highly reliable and has a surface less liable to damages when a magnetic head contacts the surface, so that good recording/reproducing characteristics are ensured. The magnetic recording medium includes a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over a substrate and having recording elements formed as convex portions in the concavo-convex pattern and a filling material filled within the concave portions between the recording elements. The filling material is substantially composed of Si and O, and the ratio of the number of O atoms to the number of Si atoms is equal to or more than 1.5 and less than 2.

Abstract: Proposed is a technique of producing a magnetic garnet material of which the light absorption characteristics worsen little even though it is produced through LPE. The crucible for LPE is formed of a material containing Au. The amount of Au to be taken in single crystal formed in an Au crucible is smaller than that of Pt to be taken therein formed in a Pt crucible. As compared with Pt, the influence of Au on magnetic garnet film that increases the insertion loss in the film is small.

Abstract: On a magnetic recording medium, a servo pattern is formed in a servo pattern region on at least one surface of a substrate by a concave/convex pattern including a convex part, at least protruding end part of which is formed of magnetic material, and a concave part. The servo pattern region includes an address pattern region and a burst pattern region, wherein the convex part is formed in the servo pattern region so that a larger of an inscribed circle with a largest diameter out of inscribed circles on an open surface of the concave part formed in the address pattern region and an inscribed circle with a largest diameter out of inscribed circles on an open surface of the concave part formed in the burst pattern region is an inscribed circle with a largest diameter out of inscribed circles on an open surface of the concave part formed in the servo pattern region.

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes: a recording layer formed over a substrate in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern, convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern constituting recording elements; a filler underlayer film formed on the bottoms of concave portions of the concavo-convex pattern; and a DLC filler formed on the filler underlayer film in contact with the filler underlayer film so as to fill the concave portions. The filler underlayer film is made of a material selected from the group consisting of a Si-containing material, a Ge-containing material, and a carbide material containing one or more metal elements selected from Ti, Ta, Nb, Mo, Zr, Cr, W, V, and Hf.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium in which a recording layer is formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern and recording and reproducing apparatus comprising the magnetic recording medium are disclosed. The magnetic recording medium has a high areal density and high reliability since the occurrence of a crash of a magnetic head is suppressed. The magnetic recording medium comprises a recording layer formed over a substrate in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern to form recording elements as a convex portion of the concavo-convex pattern and a non-magnetic filler element filled in a concave portion between the recording elements. In this configuration, the top surface of the filler element is formed in a shape partially recessed toward the substrate side to form a groove having a width smaller than the width of the concave portion on the surface of the magnetic recording medium.