Magnetic recording medium with Cr<110> preferred growth along a predetermined direction, method of producing the same and magnetic storage apparatus

1. A magnetic recording medium comprising:

a textured surface which is textured in a predetermined direction;

a Cr-based underlayer provided on the textured surface and having Cr<110> preferred growth along the predetermined direction so that over approximately 50% of Cr<110> are oriented along the predetermined direction; and

a Co-based magnetic layer provided on the underlayer and having Co(1120) preferred growth along the predetermined direction;

wherein the textured surface has a distance λ between two mutually adjacent texturing lines satisfying a relationship 5<λ<30 nm, and an angle φ between the textured surface and an oblique texture plane satisfying a relationship 0.5<φ<7 degrees.

2. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the textured surface is formed by a mechanically textured surface of a seed layer which is made of a material selected from a group of NiP, CoNiZr, CoNbZr and NiAl.

3. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the underlayer is made of a material selected from a group of Cr, CrMo, CrMoW, CrV and CrW, where a Mo-content is greater than or equal to 1 at %, a W-content is less than or equal to 30 at %, and a V-content is less than or equal to 30 at %.

4. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetic layer is made of a material selected from a group of CoCrPtB, CoCrPt, CoCrTa, CoCrPtTa, CoCrPtTaB and CoCrPtBCu.

5. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , which further comprises a CoCr-based intermediate layer interposed between the underlayer and the magnetic layer, where a Cr content is greater than or equal to 25 at % and is less than or equal to 45 at %.

6. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetic recording medium has a disk shape, and the predetermined direction is a circumferential direction of the disk shape.

7. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the underlayer has a thickness greater than approximately 2 nm and less than approximately 15 nm.

8. A magnetic storage apparatus comprising at least one magnetic recording medium, the recording medium including

a textured surface which is textured in a predetermined direction;

a Cr-based underlayer provided on the textured surface and having Cr<110> preferred growth along the predetermined direction so that over approximately 50% of Cr<110> are oriented along the predetermined direction; and

a Co-based magnetic layer provided on the underlayer and having Co(1120) preferred growth along the predetermined direction;

wherein the textured surface has a distance λ between two mutually adjacent texturing lines satisfying a relationship 5<λ<30 nm, and an angle φ between the textured surface and an oblique texture plane satisfying a relationship 0.5<φ<7 degrees.

9. A method of producing a magnetic recording medium, comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a textured surface which is textured in a predetermined direction;

(b) forming a Cr-based underlayer on the textured surface and with Cr<110> preferred growth along the predetermined direction so that over approximately 50% of Cr<110> are oriented along the predetermined direction; and

(c) forming a Co-based magnetic layer on the underlayer and with a Co(1120) preferred growth along the predetermined direction;

wherein said step (a) forms the textured surface to have a distance λ between two mutually adjacent texturing lines satisfying a relationship 5<λ<30 nm, and an angle φ between the textured surface and an oblique texture plane satisfying a relationship 0.5<φ<7 degrees.