Magnetic recording medium

1. A magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer, comprising:

a substrate; and

a first underlayer, a second underlayer, and a third underlayer, which are provided on the substrate;

wherein,

the magnetic layer is provided on the third underlayer,

the first underlayer comprises an alloy of an amorphous structure and is formed over the substrate,

the second underlayer comprises a W element or a W-containing alloy and is formed over the first underlayer,

the third underlayer comprises a two-layer structure including a Cr—Ti—B alloy stacked on a Cr—Mo alloy of a body-centered cubic structure and is formed over the second underlayer, and

the magnetic layer is one or more Co-based alloy layers of a hexagonal close-packed structure.

2. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the second underlayer is based on W and contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Fe, Ti, Cr, and Ta.

3. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 2 , wherein the W content in the second underlayer is about 90 at. % or more and about 100 at. % or less, and the second underlayer has a thickness of about 1 nm or less.

4. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 2 , wherein the W content in the second underlayer is about 70 at. % or more and about 90 at. % or less, and the second underlayer has a thickness of about 2 nm or less.

5. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 2 , wherein the W content in the second underlayer is about 50 at. % or more and about 70 at. % or less, and the second underlayer has a thickness of about 8 nm or less.

6. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 2 , wherein the W content in the second underlayer is about 30 at. % or more and about 50 at. % or less.

7. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the W content in the second underlayer is about 30 at. % or more and about 100 at. % or less.

8. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic layer comprises a plurality of Co-based alloy layers of a hexagonal close-packed structure which are anti-ferromagnetically coupled with each other by way of a non-magnetic intermediate layer.

9. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic layer comprises three or more Co-based alloy layers of a hexagonal close-packed structure which are stacked by way of a plurality of non-magnetic intermediate layers.

10. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic layer is oriented substantially such that the (11.0) plane is substantially parallel with a surface of the substrate.

11. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 wherein a ratio Hcc/Hcr between a coercive force Hcc measured in the circumferential direction and a coercive force Hcr measured in the radial direction is about 1.05 or more.

12. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein a half value width Δθ 50 is about 7° or less, which is determined based on a rocking curve for a (11.0) plane of a magnetic layer in a circumferential direction of the medium when measured by using an X-ray diffraction apparatus using CuKα1 rays as a source such that an incident direction of X-rays is in parallel with the circumferential direction of the medium.

13. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 12 , wherein the half value width Δθ 50 determined based on the rocking curve for the (11.0) plane of the magnetic layer in the circumferential direction of the medium is about 5° or less.

14. A magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer, comprising:

a substrate; and

a first underlayer, a second underlayer, and a third underlayer, which are provided on the substrate;

wherein,

the magnetic layer is provided on the third underlayer,

the first underlayer comprises an amorphous alloy comprising at least two kinds of elements selected from Ni, Co, Ti, Ta, Al, and Zr, the first underlayer being formed over the substrate,

the second underlayer comprises a W element or a W-containing alloy, the second underlayer being formed over the first underlayer,

the third underlayer comprises a two layer-structure including a Cr—Ti—B alloy stacked on a Cr—Mo alloy of a body-centered cubic structure and is formed over the second underlayer, and

the magnetic layer is one or more Co-based alloy layers of a hexagonal close-packed structure.

15. A magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer, comprising:

a substrate; and

a first underlayer, a second underlayer and a third underlayer, which are provided on a substrate;

wherein,

a magnetic layer is provided on the third underlayer,

the first underlayer comprises an Ni—Ta alloy, Ni—Ti alloy, Co—Ti alloy, Ni—Ti—Ta alloy, Co—Ti—Ta alloy, Cr—Ta alloy, Cr—Ti—Ta alloy, Co—Cr—Zr alloy, Co—Al—Ti alloy, or Cr—Ti—Al alloy, the first underlayer being formed over the substrate,

the second underlayer comprises a W element or a W-containing alloy, the second underlayer being formed over the first underlayer,

the third underlayer comprises a two-layer structure including a Cr—Ti—B alloy stacked on a Cr—Mo alloy of a body-centered cubic structure and is formed over the second underlayer, and

the magnetic layer comprises one or more of Co-based alloy layers of a hexagonal close-packed structure.

16. A magnetic recording medium according to claim 15 ,

wherein a half value width Δθ 50 is about 5° or less, which is determined based on a rocking curve for a (11.0) plane of a magnetic layer in a circumferential direction of the medium when measured by using an X-ray diffraction apparatus using CuKα1 rays as a source such that an incident direction of X-rays is in parallel with the circumferential direction of the medium;

wherein a glass substrate is used which is formed with grooves at a surface of the substrate by texturing substantially in a circumferential direction of the substrate; and

wherein the magnetic layer is substantially oriented such that the (11.0) plane is substantially parallel with the substrate surface.