Seagate Technology Incorporated

Xiaoguang Ma

Charles Changging Chen

Weilu Hang Xu

Abebe Hailu

Shoutao Wang

Mark B Johnson

Chung-hee Chang

Chunghee Chang

An apparatus and method are provided for improving perpendicular magnetic recording media. The present invention provides media, and a method of fabricating media in a cost-effective manner, with a reduced ruthenium (Ru) content interlayer structure, while meeting media performance requirements. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium is provided comprising a non-magnetic substrate having a surface, and a layer stack situated on the substrate surface. The layer stack comprises, in overlying sequence from the substrate surface a magnetically soft underlayer; an amorphous or crystalline, non-magnetic seed layer; an interlayer structure for crystallographically orienting a layer of a perpendicular magnetic recording material situated on the underlayer; and at least one crystallographically oriented, magnetically hard, perpendicular magnetic recording layer situated on the interlayer structure. The interlayer structure is a stacked structure comprising, in overlying sequence: a chromium alloy situated on the seed layer; and an upper interlayer situated on the chromium alloy.

Interlayer comprising chromium-containing alloy

Seed layer comprising FCC structure

Granular perpendicular media interlayer for a storage device

A perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises a layer stack formed over a surface of a non-magnetic substrate, and comprising, in overlying sequence from the surface: a magnetically soft underlayer; an interlayer structure for crystallographically orienting a layer of a perpendicular magnetic recording material formed thereon; and at least one crystallographically oriented, magnetically hard, perpendicular magnetic recording layer on the interlayer structure; wherein the interlayer structure is a triple-layer stacked structure comprising: a first interlayer of a first non-magnetic material proximal the magnetically soft underlayer and containing Ru; a second interlayer of a second non-magnetic material in overlying contact with the first interlayer and not containing Ru; and a third interlayer of a third non-magnetic material in overlying contact with the second interlayer and containing Ru.

Recording media interlayer structure

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Xiaoguang Ma