Magnetic recording medium, magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, magnetic recording method and magnetic reproducing method

1. A magnetic recording medium comprising a structure in which at least a soft magnetic underlayer, a non-magnetic intermediate layer, and a magnetic recording layer are sequentially laminated on a non-magnetic substrate,

wherein the magnetic recording layer includes a first magnetic layer, a non-magnetic layer, and a second magnetic layer in order from the non-magnetic substrate side, has a structure in which the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer are magnetically separated from each other with the non-magnetic layer interposed therebetween, and consists of a plurality of patterns which are magnetically separated from each other,

a coercive force Hc of the second magnetic layer is larger than that of the first magnetic layer, and the coercive force Hc of the second magnetic layer is smaller than that of the first magnetic layer temporarily when the second magnetic layer is heated,

a product Mrt of a layer thickness and remanence per unit area of the second magnetic layer is smaller than that of the first magnetic layer.

2. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 ,

wherein the coercive force Hc of the first magnetic layer satisfies 3000≦Hc [Oe]≦6000, the product Mrt of the first magnetic layer satisfies 0.1≦Mrt [memu/cm 2 ]≦0.2, the coercive force Hc of the second magnetic layer satisfies 12000≦Hc [Oe], and the product Mrt of the second magnetic layer satisfies 0.03≦Mrt [memu/cm 2 ]≦0.06.

3. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 ,

wherein the magnetic recording layer has patterns which are magnetically separated from each other with a non-magnetic material interposed therebetween.

4. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 ,

wherein the patterns of the magnetic recording layer are provided by penetrating the first magnetic layer, the non-magnetic intermediate layer and the second magnetic layer in the layer thickness direction.

5. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first magnetic layer consists of a magnetic material which contains Co as a main component and contains any of Cr, Pt, Si, Cr, O, and B, and the second magnetic layer consists of a magnetic material which contains any of Fe and Pt, Co and Pt, and Co and Pd.

6. A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

the magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 ;

a medium driving unit that drives the magnetic recording medium in a recording direction;

heating means that heats the magnetic recording medium;

a magnetic head that performs a recording operation and a reproducing operation on the magnetic recording medium;

a head driving unit that relatively moves the magnetic head with respect to the magnetic recording medium; and

a recording and reproducing signal processing system that inputs a signal to the magnetic head and reproduces an output signal from the magnetic head.

7. A magnetic recording method of performing writing information on the magnetic recording medium according to claim 1 , the method comprising:

performing writing information on the first magnetic layer, by using a recording magnetic head, while applying a magnetic field which is larger than the coercive force of the first magnetic layer and is smaller than the coercive force of the second magnetic layer by using a magnetic recording head, and

performing writing information on the second magnetic layer, by using a recording magnetic head with heating means, while applying a magnetic field which is smaller than the coercive force of the first magnetic layer and is larger than the coercive force of the second magnetic layer, and the coercive force Hc of the second magnetic layer is smaller than that of the first magnetic layer temporarily when the second magnetic layer is heated.

8. The magnetic recording method according to claim 7 ,

wherein the heating means irradiates the second magnetic layer with microwaves or laser light.

9. A magnetic reproducing method of performing reading information from a magnetic recording medium comprising a structure in which at least a soft magnetic underlayer, a non-magnetic intermediate layer, and a magnetic recording layer are sequentially laminated on a non-magnetic substrate,

wherein the magnetic recording layer includes a first magnetic layer, a non-magnetic layer, and a second magnetic layer in order from the non-magnetic substrate side, has a structure in which the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer are magnetically separated from each other with the non-magnetic layer interposed there between, and consists of a plurality of patterns which are magnetically separated from each other,

a coercive force Hc of the second magnetic layer is larger than that of the first magnetic layer, and the coercive force Hc of the second magnetic layer is smaller than that of the first magnetic layer temporarily when the second magnetic layer is heated, and

a product Mrt of a layer thickness and remanence per unit area of the second magnetic layer is smaller than that of the first magnetic layer,

said reproducing method comprising:

detecting magnetic fields from the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer by using a magnetic head for reproducing, recording information by the method according to claim 7 and reading the information recorded in the first magnetic layer and the information recorded in the second magnetic layer, separately, on the basis of a difference in a sum of the detected magnetic fields.