Abstract: Aliphatic polyesters may be substituted at the alpha- and beta-positions. These aliphatic polyesters may have increased thermal, chemical and hydrolytic stability compared to conventional aliphatic polyesters. In addition, these aliphatic polyesters may be used as high performance lubricants, including lubricants for hard disk drives.

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes: recording elements formed as the convex portions of the recording layer formed in the predetermined concavo-convex pattern over a substrate; and a filling elements with which a concave portions between the recording elements are filled. A surface concave portion is formed in a surface of the magnetic recording medium above the recording element. The surface concave portion has a cross-sectional shape of which a portion corresponding to a center of the recording element lying thereunder in a width direction thereof is recessed deepest toward the substrate, and has a width monotonically increasing with increase of a distance from the substrate.

Abstract: A layered magneto-optical recording medium including a substrate and a magnetic layer. The magnetic layer includes columnar projections, which are formed on a film surface of the magnetic layer as arranged in a lengthwise direction and a crosswise direction with a pitch smaller than a wavelength of the laser light.

Abstract: First and second print layers extend on the surface of a medium body in a recording medium. The first print layer has a first thickness. The second print layer has a second thickness larger than the first thickness. A print protection layer covers over the first and second print layers on the surface of the medium body. An inclined surface is defined on the surface of the print protection layer. The inventors have found that a print layer has various thickness based on the kind of colors. The difference in the thickness causes a step on the surface of the print layer at the boundary between the different colors. The inclined surface is established on the surface of the print protection layer based on the step. A smooth relative movement can thus be realized between a head and the surface of the print protection layer.

Abstract: A recording medium, comprising: (a) a substrate having at least one surface; (b) a stacked plurality of thin film layers on the at least one surface and including at least one magnetic or magneto-optical (MO) recording layer; and (c) a protective overcoat layer on an outer surface of an outermost layer of the layer stack, comprising: (i) a first sub-layer layer (c1) of undoped tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) formed by filtered cathodic arc deposition (FCAD) on the outer surface of the outermost layer of the stacked plurality of thin film layers and having a high mass density of carbon (C) atoms greater than about 2.5 gms/cm3; and (ii) a second sub-layer (c2) of nitrogen-doped tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C:N) formed by FCAD on the undoped ta-C layer and having a high mass density of carbon (C) atoms greater than about 2.0 gms/cm3.