Abstract: According to one embodiment, a perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, and a multilayered magnetic recording layer formed on the substrate by alternately stacking two or more magnetic layers and two or more nonmagnetic layers. The magnetic layers and nonmagnetic layers of the multilayered magnetic recording layer are continuous layers. The magnetic layer includes a magnetic material portion, and a plurality of pinning sites dispersed in the magnetic material portion and made of a nonmagnetic metal different from a nonmagnetic material as a main component of the nonmagnetic layer. This perpendicular magnetic recording medium has magnetic characteristics by which a gradient a of a magnetization curve near the coercive force is 5 or more.

Abstract: A chemical exposure indication device is disclosed. The device is removably attachable to a structure and includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface and an indicating layer overlying the first substrate surface. The indicating layer includes a coating material that is chemically reactive with a pre-determined chemical compound that is known to degrade the structure. When the coating material is exposed to that corrosive compound in a pre-determined level associated with degradation of a metallic structure, the coating material provides a visual indication of the presence of the corrosive compound.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium is provided, which has a soft magnetic layer, a seed layer, a first intermediate layer, a second intermediate layer and a perpendicular magnetic recording layer, formed in this order on a non-magnetic substrate, and is characterized in that the seed layer is comprised of a (002) crystal plane-orientated hcp structure, the first intermediate layer is comprised of a (110) crystal plane-orientated bcc structure and the second intermediate layer is comprised of a (002) crystal plane-orientated hcp structure. The (110) crystal plane-orientated bcc structure comprises at least 60 atomic % of Cr. The magnetic recording medium has fine and well discrete magnetic crystal grains with extremely small size and exhibits good perpendicular orientation in the perpendicular magnetic recording layer, and thus, the medium is capable of recording and reproducing information with high density.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium used for perpendicular magnetic recording, the magnetic recording medium comprising: a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a magnetic recording medium constituent layer formed on the first surface of the substrate, the magnetic recording medium constituent layer including at least a magnetic recording layer; a non-magnetic metal film formed on the second surface of the substrate; and a carbon-based protective film formed on the non-magnetic metal film.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium is provided, which has a soft magnetic layer, an under layer, an intermediate layer and a perpendicular magnetic recording layer, and is characterized in that the perpendicular magnetic recording layer is comprised of at least one magnetic layer, which magnetic layer or at least one of which magnetic layers comprises cobalt-based ferromagnetic crystal grains and grain boundaries comprised of an oxide, wherein the ferromagnetic crystal grains further comprise ruthenium. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium has ferromagnetic crystal grains with extremely small grain size and exhibiting enhanced discretion, as well as good perpendicular orientation in the perpendicular magnetic recording layer, and thus, the medium is capable of recording and reproducing information with high density.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium exhibiting a high recording density performance is disclosed. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium has a soft magnetic underlayer, a first seed layer, a second seed layer, an intermediate layer, a granular magnetic recording layer, a non-granular magnetic recording layer, a protective layer, and a lubricant layer laminated on a nonmagnetic substrate in this order. The first seed layer contains cobalt, nickel, and at least one element selected from a group consisting of Si, Cr, V, Zr, Nb, Ta, Ti, Cu, and Mo, and the second seed layer contains nickel, chromium, and at least one element selected from a group consisting of Si, V, Zr, Nb, Ta, Ti, Cu, and Mo.

Abstract: A highly reliable magnetic recording medium is provided which has a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern and wherein the recording layer is unlikely to cause a change in magnetic properties. 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. The filler portion comprises a metal-based main filler material and oxygen. Oxygen is unevenly distributed in the filler portion so that the ratio of the number of oxygen atoms to the total of the number of atoms of the main filler material and the number of oxygen atoms is greater in an upper surface portion of the filler portion than in a lower portion of the filler portion.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium having a soft magnetic backing layer is disclosed. The medium has reduced Co elution, improved corrosion resistance, and satisfactory electromagnetic transducing characteristics, without providing constraints on the configuration of the protective layer such as, for example, the thickness of the protective layer, film deposition processes or layer configuration.

Abstract: This magnetic recording medium has a substrate, a nonmagnetic granular layer formed above the substrate and a recording layer formed on the nonmagnetic granular layer. The nonmagnetic granular layer is made of CoCr alloy with an hcp or an fcc crystal structure in which a nonmagnetic material segregates virtually-columnar magnetic grains. The magnetic recording medium and the magnetic storage apparatus in which the medium is used have improved reading/writing performances.

Abstract: Provided is a perpendicular magnetic recording medium and a method of manufacturing the same. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a buffer layer formed on the substrate, a soft magnetic underlayer formed on the buffer layer, and a recording layer formed on the soft magnetic underlayer.

Abstract: A magnetic material is provided that has an iron oxide phase whose principal phase is a crystal of a structure which has the same space group as ?-Fe2O3 crystal and in which Al is substituted for a portion of the Fe sites of the ?-Fe2O3 crystal. The molar ratio of Al to Fe in the iron oxide phase, when expressed as Al:Fe=x:(2?x), satisfies 0?x?1. The value of x is preferably in the range of 0.3 to 0.7. The average particle diameter of the powder determined from a TEM image is preferably 5 to 200 nm, more preferably 10 to 100 nm. The magnetic material has very high practical value because it enables the extremely high coercive force Hc of the ?-Fe2O3 crystal to be regulated to a level enabling utilization in magnetic recording medium and various other applications. The magnetic powder can be produced by a method combining the reverse micelle method and the sol-gel method.