Thermally assisted magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording storage

1. A thermally assisted magnetic recording medium comprising a substrate, a plurality of underlayers formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer which is formed on the underlayers and predominantly comprised of an alloy having an L1 0 structure, characterized in that at least one of said underlayers is predominantly comprised of MgO and comprises at least one kind of an element having a free energy for oxidation of, per mol of oxygen, not higher than −120 kcal/mol·O 2 at 1000° C.

2. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the element having a free energy for oxidation of, per mol of oxygen, not higher than −120 kcal/mol·O 2 at 1000° C. is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Zr and B.

3. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the content of the element having a free energy for oxidation of, per mol of oxygen, not higher than −120 kcal/mol·O 2 at 1000° C. is in the range of 2 atomic % to 40 atomic %, based on the underlayer predominantly comprised of MgO.

4. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the underlayer predominantly comprised of MgO is formed on an underlayer which is comprised of Cr, or a Cr alloy predominantly comprised of Cr and having a BCC structure.

5. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the underlayer predominantly comprised of MgO is formed on an underlayer which is comprised of Ta.

6. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the underlayer predominantly comprised of MgO has an average particle diameter of smaller than 10 nm.

7. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic layer is predominantly comprised of an FePt or CoPt alloy having an L1 0 structure, and comprises at least one oxide or element, selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , TiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , ZrO 2 , Y 2 O 3 , CeO 2 , MnO, TiO, ZnO and carbon.

8. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , which further comprises a cap layer, formed on the magnetic layer, which is comprised of an alloy having a magneto crystalline anisotropy lower than that of the alloy having an L1 0 structure in the magnetic layer.

9. An improved magnetic recording storage comprising, in combination:

(i) a magnetic recording medium;

(ii) a driving part for rotating the magnetic recording medium;

(iii) a magnetic head comprising a recording head part and a reproducing head part; said recording head part having a laser emitting means for heating the magnetic recording medium, a waveguide for guiding laser from the laser-emitting means to a tip of the recording head part, and an evanescent light-emitting means provided at the tip of the recording head part;

(iv) means for moving the magnetic head to the magnetic recording medium; and

(v) a recording-and-reproducing signal treating means for inputting signal to the magnetic head and for reproducing output signal from the magnetic head;

wherein the improvement lies in that the magnetic recording medium is a thermally assisted magnetic recording medium as claimed in claim 1 .