Abstract: A large-capacity, low-cost, longitudinal magnetic recording medium capable of ultra-high-density recording of 70 Gigabits or more per square inch is disclosed. The longitudinal magnetic recording medium of the present invention comprises a first seed layer, a second seed layer, a first underlayer, a second underlayer, and a magnetic layer, which are formed on a nonmagnetic substrate in this order. A material containing at least Al and any one of Ru and Re is used to form the second seed layer, and a material containing at least any one of Co and Ni and one or both of Al and Ti is used to form the first underlayer. It is also possible to use Cr or a Cr alloy containing Cr and at least one element selected from the constituent element group A consisting of Ti, Mo, and W for forming the second seed layer.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a first underlying film of a NiTa alloy having a nonmagnetic amorphous structure and formed on a nonmagnetic substrate, and a second underlying film made of an alloy containing Cr and Ti, further a first magnetic film of a CoCrPt alloy, a nonmagnetic intermediate film of Ru and a second magnetic film of a CoCrPtB alloy that are serially formed over the first underlying film, wherein oxygen locally exists in an interface between the first underlying film and the second underlying film.

Abstract: A magnetic recording apparatus including a drive unit to drive the magnetic recording medium, a compound-type magnetic head, a means to move the magnetic head relative to the magnetic recording medium, and a means to process recording and retrieving signals generated by the magnetic head. The magnetic recording medium comprises a non-magnetic substrate and a magnetic layer formed thereon with three underlayers interposed inbetween. The magnetic layer is composed of a plurality of layers of Co-based alloy of hexagonal close-packed structure which are antiferromagnetically coupled to one another through a non-magnetic intermediate layer, said three underlayers including an amorphous alloy layer, a Ta layer, and a Cr-based alloy layer of body-centered cubic structure.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium having first undercoating layers 40, 40′ formed directly or via substrate face undercoating layers on a substrate 40, second undercoating layers 42, 42′ directly formed on the first undercoating layers 40, 40′, magnetic films 43, 43′ formed on the second undercoating layers 42, 42′, and protective films 44, 44′ formed on the magnetic films 43, 43′. Clusters having a large amount of oxygen are dispersed on the boundary face of the first and second undercoating layers. Preferably, the first undercoating layer is made of an alloy which includes two kinds of elements in which the difference between oxide formation standard free energies &Dgr;G° of the elements at the temperature of 250° C. is large.

Abstract: The longitudinal magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic substrate, a first underlayer having at least one of an amorphous structure and a fine crystal structure formed on the non-magnetic substrate, a second underlayer having a body-centered cubic structure formed on the first underlayer, a third underlayer having a hexagonal closed packed structure formed on the second underlayer, and a magnetic layer having the hexagonal closed packed structure formed on the third underlayer, wherein the third underlayer is composed of an alloy containing Co and Ru.

Abstract: In a magnetic storage apparatus having a magnetic recording medium, a drive unit for driving this medium in a prespecified recording direction, a magnetic head assembly including a recorder section and reproduction section, means for causing the magnetic head to move relatively with respect to the magnetic record medium, and a record/playback signal processor means for performing signal inputting to the magnetic head and for effecting reproduction of an output signal from the magnetic head, the reproduction section of said magnetic head is composed of a magnetic head of the magnetoresistance effect type, while said magnetic record medium is structured including a substrate and a magnetic layer formed thereover with one or several underlayers being sandwiched therebetween, wherein at least one of the underlayers is a specific layer that is made of amorphous or microcrystalline materials containing therein Ni as the principal or main component thereof and further containing at least one kind of element as selec

Abstract: A magnetic recording system includes an in-plane magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer fabricated on a single underlayer or on a plurality of underlayers respectively fabricated on a substrate; a driver unit for driving the in-plane magnetic recording medium in a write direction; a magnetic head having a read unit and a write unit; a unit for moving the magnetic head relative to the in-plane magnetic recording medium; and a read/write signal processing unit for reading an output signal from the magnetic head and writing an input signal to the magnetic recording media, wherein the read unit of the magnetic head is a magnetoresistive head and the single underlayer or at least one of the plurality of underlayers is made of Co-containing amorphous material or fine crystal material, or is made of alloy material, the alloy material having as the main components at least one element selected from a group consisting of Cr, Mo, V and Ta and containing at least one element selected from a group consisting o

Abstract: In a magnetic storage device, comprising

Abstract: The longitudinal magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic substrate, a first underlayer having at least one of an amorphous structure and a fine crystal structure formed on the non-magnetic substrate, a second underlayer having a body-centered cubic structure formed on the first underlayer, a third underlayer having a hexagonal closed packed structure formed on the second underlayer, and a magnetic layer having the hexagonal closed packed structure formed on the third underlayer, wherein the third underlayer is composed of an alloy containing Co and Ru.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer deposited on a substrate through a single-layer underlayer or a multilayer-underlayer, the magnetic layer includes magnetic crystal grains having an acicular structure or amorphous magnetic particles, an average grain size of the magnetic grain and a grain-size dispersion normalized by the average grain size are less than 16 nm and less than 0.5, respectively, a value Ku·v/kT which results from dividing a product of a magnetic anisotropy constant Ku and a volume v of the magnetic grain by a product of a Boltzmann constant k and an absolute temperature T is selected to be greater than 60, and a film thickness of the magnetic layer falls within twice of the average grain size.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a high reliability magnetic storage apparatus capable of performing writing and reading back of high density information.

Abstract: An inplane magnetic recording medium having high S/N and thermal stability and a reliable magnetic storage device having surface recording density of 50 megabit/mm2 or more is described. The magnetic recording medium includes magnetic layers formed on a nonmagnetic substrate with a plurality of ground layers therebetween, at least one of the ground layers formed from an alloy of a body-centered cubic structure containing Cr as a main component and B of from 2 atomic % to 12 atomic %. Main components of the magnetic layers include a lower magnetic layer containing Co and Cr of from 10 atomic % to 16 atomic %, with film thickness of from 1.5 nm to 4.5 nm, and an upper magnetic layer containing Co, coupling anti-ferromagnetically with the lower magnetic layer through nonmagnetic intermediate layers.

Abstract: A magnetic recording system includes an in-plane magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer fabricated on a single underlayer or on a plurality of underlayers respectively fabricated on a substrate; a driver unit for driving the in-plane magnetic recording medium in a write direction; a magnetic head having a read unit and a write unit; a unit for moving the magnetic head relative to the in-plane magnetic recording medium; and a read/write signal processing unit for reading an output signal from the magnetic head and writing an input signal to the magnetic recording media, wherein the read unit of the magnetic head is a magnetoresistive head and the single underlayer or at least one of the plurality of underlayers is made of Co-containing amorphous material or fine crystal material, or is made of alloy material, the alloy material having as the main components at least one element selected from a group consisting of Cr, Mo, V and Ta and containing at least one element selected from a group consisting o

Abstract: In a magnetic storage apparatus having a magnetic recording medium, a drive unit for driving this medium in a prespecified recording direction, a magnetic head assembly including a recorder section and reproduction section, a way to cause the magnetic head to move relatively with respect to the magnetic record medium, and a record/playback signal processor for performing signal inputting to the magnetic head and for effecting reproduction of an output signal from the magnetic head, the reproduction section of said magnetic head is composed of a magnetic head of the magnetoresistance effect type, while said magnetic record medium is structured including a substrate and a magnetic layer formed thereover with one or several underlayers being sandwiched therebetween, wherein at least one of hte underlayers is a specific layer that is made of amorphous or microcrystalline materials containing therein Ni as the principal or main component thereof and further containing at least one kind of element as selected from

Abstract: A magnetic storage device has a recording density of over 5 gigabits per square inch. In the magnetic layer, the magnetic crystal grains of the granular structure are separated by a nonmagnetic phase. The typical crystal grain is in the approximate shape of a sphere or an ellipsoid. The thickness of the magnetic crystal grains, which is in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the film, is smaller than that of the thickness of the magnetic film. The ratio of the coercive force which is measured in the circumferential direction to the coercive force which is measured in the radial direction, which is the orientation ratio of the coercive force, is larger than 1.0, but preferably not greater than 3.0. Further, the area fraction of the magnetic grains having an extended axis within 30° from the circumferential direction is equal to or more than 45%.

Abstract: In a magnetic storage apparatus including a recording medium having a magnetic layer, a seed layer and an underlayer formed on a substrate, a driver for driving the recording medium, a magnetic head having an inductive recording head and a magnetoresistive reproducing head, and a signal processing system for processing input signals to the magnetic head and output signals from the magnetic head, the seed layer comprises an amorphous alloy or a microcrystal alloy containing Ni, Ta and Zr, the underlayer comprises an alloy containing Cr as a main component and Ti, and the magnetic layer has a first magnetic layer in contact with the underlayer and a second magnetic layer on the first magnetic layer. The first magnetic layer comprises a Co—Cr—Pt alloy and the second magnetic layer comprises Co—Cr—Pt—B alloy, both of a substantially hexagonal close-packed structure.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium having at least two magnetic layers and a non-magnetic intermediate layer held between them. The first magnetic layer (which is closer to the substrate than the non-magnetic intermediate layer) is formed from an alloy composed of Co, Pr, and Cr, with Pt content being 3-9 at %. The second magnetic layer (which is farther from the substrate than the non-magnetic intermediate layer) is formed from a Co-based alloy containing Pt, Cr, and B. The first and second magnetic layers are magnetized in the mutually antiparallel direction in the absence of an applied magnetic field.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a first underlying film of a NiTa alloy having a nonmagnetic amorphous structure and formed on a nonmagnetic substrate, and a second underlying film made of an alloy containing Cr and Ti, further a first magnetic film of a CoCrPt alloy, a nonmagnetic intermediate film of Ru and a second magnetic film of a CoCrPtB alloy that are serially formed over the first underlying film, wherein oxygen locally exists in an interface between the first underlying film and the second underlying film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer deposited on a substrate through a single-layer underlayer or a multilayer-underlayer, the magnetic layer includes magnetic crystal grains having an acicular structure or amorphous magnetic particles, an average grain size of the magnetic grain and a grain-size dispersion normalized by the average grain size are less than 16 nm and less than 0.5, respectively, a value Ku·v/kT which results from dividing a product of a magnetic anisotropy constant Ku and a volume v of the magnetic grain by a product of a Boltzmann constant k and an absolute temperature T is selected to be greater than 60, and a film thickness of the magnetic layer falls within twice of the average grain size.

Abstract: A magnetic recording system includes an in-plane magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer fabricated on a single underlayer or on a plurality of underlayers respectively fabricated on a substrate; a driver unit for driving the in-plane magnetic recording medium in a write direction; a magnetic head having a read unit and a write unit; a unit for moving the magnetic head relative to the in-plane magnetic recording medium; and a read/write signal processing unit for reading an output signal from the magnetic head and writing an input signal to the magnetic recording media, wherein the read unit of the magnetic head is a magnetoresistive head and the single underlayer or at least one of the plurality of underlayers is made of Co-containing amorphous material or fine crystal material, or is made of alloy material, the alloy material having as the main components at least one element selected from a group consisting of Cr, Mo, V and Ta and containing at least one element selected from a group consisting o