Magnetic recording medium and magnetic storage apparatus

1. A magnetic recording medium comprising:

a substrate;

a recording magnetic layer made of a CoCr alloy and having a (11 2 0) crystallographic texture; and

an underlayer, made of an AlRuV alloy, disposed between the substrate and the magnetic layer,

wherein said underlayer is made of Al x Ru y V z , where 20≦x≦70, 1≦y≦45 and 20≦z≦70.

2. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said magnetic layer is comprised of a single magnetic layer or, a synthetic ferrimagnetic structure including at least a pair of magnetic layers respectively made of a CoCr alloy and antiferromagnetically coupled via a spacer layer, wherein c-axes of the pair of magnetic layers are significantly parallel to a film plane of the substrate such that h=Hc⊥/Hc//≦0.15, where Hc⊥ denotes a coercivity perpendicular to the film plane and Hc// denotes a coercivity along the film plane.

3. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said underlayer has a thickness in a range of 1 nm to 70 nm.

4. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

an amorphous or polycrystalline seed layer disposed between the underlayer and the substrate.

5. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said seed layer has a thickness in a range of 1 nm to 70 nm.

6. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said seed layer is made of AlV or Al x Ru y V z , where, 20≦x≦70, 1≦y≦45 and 20≦z≦70.

7. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising:

a pre-seed layer, made of NiP or CrP, disposed between the substrate and the seed layer.

8. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said seed layer is made of Ta or CrTa.

9. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

an amorphous or polycrystalline seed layer disposed between the underlayer and the substrate,

said seed layer having a thickness in a range of 20 nm to 30 nm,

said underlayer having a thickness in a range of 10 nm to 30 nm,

said seed layer and said underlayer having a total thickness in a range of 30 nm to 60 nm.

10. The magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said seed layer is made of a AlV or AlRuV alloy.

11. A magnetic storage apparatus comprising:

at least one magnetic recording medium; and

a recording and reproducing head recording information on and reproducing information from said at least one magnetic recording medium;

each magnetic recording medium comprising:

a substrate;

a recording magnetic layer made of a CoCr alloy and having a (11 2 0) crystallographic texture; and

an underlayer, made of an AlRuV alloy, disposed between the substrate and the magnetic layers,

wherein said underlayer is made of Al x Ru y V z , where 20≦x≦70, 1≦y≦45 and 20≦z≦70.

12. The magnetic storage apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium is comprised of a single magnetic layer or, a synthetic ferrimagnetic structure including at least a pair of magnetic layers respectively made of a CoCr alloy and antiferromagnetically coupled via a spacer layer, wherein c-axes of the pair of magnetic layers are significantly parallel to a film plane of the substrate such that h=Hc⊥/Hc//≦0.15, where Hc⊥ denotes a coercivity perpendicular to the film plane and Hc// denotes a coercivity along the film plane.

13. The magnetic storage apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or 12 , further comprising:

an amorphous or polycrystalline seed layer disposed between the underlayer and the substrate.

14. The magnetic storage apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the seed layer has a thickness in a range of 20 nm to 30 nm, the underlayer has a thickness in a range of 10 nm to 30 nm, and the seed layer and the underlayer have a total thickness in a range of 30 nm to 60 nm.

15. The magnetic storage apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the seed layer of the magnetic recording medium is made of a AlV or AlRuV alloy.