PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIUM MANUFACTURING METHOD
[Object] To provide a manufacturing method that can easily enhance a reversed domain nucleation magnetic field of a magnetic recording layer in a perpendicular magnetic recording medium having, over a substrate, a soft magnetic layer, the magnetic recording layer having a granular structure, and a continuous layer having a high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. [Solution] A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method according to this invention is characterized by including a soft magnetic layer forming step of forming a soft magnetic layer over a substrate, a magnetic recording layer forming step of forming a magnetic recording layer having a granular structure as an upper layer of the soft magnetic layer, a continuous layer forming step of forming a continuous layer having a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy as an upper layer or a lower layer of the magnetic recording layer, and a heating step of heating a medium, obtained by forming the continuous layer in the continuous layer forming step, for improving a value of a reversed domain nucleation magnetic field.
1 . A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method characterized by comprising
a soft magnetic layer forming step of forming a soft magnetic layer over a substrate,
a magnetic recording layer forming step of forming a magnetic recording layer having a granular structure as an upper layer of said soft magnetic layer,
a continuous layer forming step of forming a continuous layer having a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy as an upper layer or a lower layer of said magnetic recording layer, and
a heating step of heating a medium, obtained by forming said continuous layer in said continuous layer forming step, for improving a value of a reversed domain nucleation magnetic field.
2 . A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said heating step is performed in a temperature range of 150° C. to 240° C.
3 . A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said substrate is a glass.
4 . A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said soft magnetic layer is formed of an Fe-based soft magnetic material, a Co-based soft magnetic material, or an FeCo-based alloy soft magnetic material.
5 . A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said magnetic recording layer is a ferromagnetic layer of a granular structure containing CoCrPt and a nonmagnetic substance.
6 . A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said continuous layer is formed by stacking an exchange energy control layer in the form of alternate layers of a Co-based alloy and Pd or Pt and a coupling control layer made of Pd or Pt and serving to couple said exchange energy control layer to said magnetic recording layer.
7 . A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said continuous layer is a single layer made of a magnetic material mainly containing a CoCrPt-based alloy.