Perpendicular magnetic recording medium, method of producing the same, and magnetic storage device

1. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium, comprising:

a substrate;

a soft-magnetic underlayer on the substrate;

a seed layer formed from an amorphous material on the soft-magnetic underlayer;

an underlayer formed from Ru on the seed layer, the underlayer including a plurality of granular crystals each growing in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the substrate, and a plurality of empty interstices separating the granular crystals from each other;

a recording layer on the underlayer, the recording layer including a plurality of magnetic particles each having an easy axis of magnetization substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, and a plurality of non-magnetic immiscible phases separating the magnetic particles from each other;

a second underlayer between the seed layer and the underlayer; and

a grain embryo layer including a plurality of isolate grain embryos directly on a surface of the seed layer,

wherein the second underlayer includes a plurality of second granular crystals formed from Ru and a plurality of polycrystalline films, each of the polycrystalline films being formed by the second granular crystals coupled with each other through granular boundaries,

wherein the second underlayer is formed so that the second granular crystals cover the grain embryos,

wherein intervals between the granular crystals in the underlayer are in a range from 1 nm to 2 nm, and

wherein the grain embryo layer is formed from a material including at least one of Pt, W, Ag, Au, and alloys of Pt, W, Ag, Au.

2. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of empty interstices are formed from a bottom of the underlayer to an interface between the underlayer and the recording layer.

3. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an average diameter of the granular crystals in the underlayer is in a range from 2 nm to 10 nm.

4. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the grain embryo layer is formed from a material including at least one of Ru, a Ru alloy, Ti, Ta, Co, and CoPt.

5. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the Ru alloy is a Ru—X alloy, where X represents at least one of Co, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Mn.

6. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an equivalent thickness of the grain embryo layer is set to be in a range from 0.2 nm to 1.0 nm, the equivalent thickness of the grain embryo layer being determined by assuming that the grain embryo layer is a continuous film having the same volume as an aggregation of the grain embryos.

7. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the seed layer is formed from a material including at least one of Ta, Ti, C, Mo, W, Re, Os, Hf, Mg, Pt, and alloys of Ta, Ti, C, Mo, W, Re, Os, Hf, Mg, and Pt, or NiP.

8. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the seed layer is a single layer, and a thickness of the seed layer is from 1 nm to 10 nm.

9. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the magnetic particles in the recording layer are formed from one of Ni, Fe, Co, Ni-based alloys, Fe-based alloys, and Co-based alloys selected from CoCrTa, CoCrPt, and CoCrPt-M, where M represents a material including at least one of B, Mo, Nb, Ta, W, Cu, and alloys thereof.

10. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the immiscible phases in the recording layer are formed from a compound including at least one of Si, Al, Ta, Zr, Y, and Mg, and at least one of O, C, and N.

11. A magnetic storage device, comprising:

a recording and reproduction unit including a magnetic head; and

a perpendicular magnetic recording medium,

wherein

the perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes

a substrate;

a soft-magnetic underlayer on the substrate;

a seed layer formed from an amorphous material on the soft-magnetic underlayer;

an underlayer formed from Ru on the seed layer, the underlayer including a plurality of granular crystals each growing in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the substrate, and a plurality of empty interstices separating the granular crystals from each other;

a recording layer on the underlayer, the recording layer including a plurality of magnetic particles each having an easy axis of magnetization substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, and a plurality of non-magnetic immiscible phases separating the magnetic particles from each other;

a second underlayer between the seed layer and the underlayer; and

a grain embryo layer including a plurality of isolate grain embryos directly on a surface of the seed layer,

wherein the second underlayer includes a plurality of second granular crystals formed from Ru and a plurality of polycrystalline films, each of the polycrystalline films being formed by the second granular crystals coupled with each other through granular boundaries,

wherein the second underlayer is formed so that the second granular crystals cover the grain embryos,

wherein intervals between the granular crystals in the underlayer are in a range from 1 nm to 2 nm, and

wherein the grain embryo layer is formed from a material including at least one of Pt, W, Ag, Au, and alloys of Pt, W, AR, Au.

12. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a material forming the grain embryo layer is different from a material forming the second underlayer.

13. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 11 , wherein a material forming the grain embryo layer is different from a material forming the second underlayer.