Magnetic recording medium possessing a magnetic layer having plural oxygen-containing regions

Abstract

On a polymeric substrate, there is formed with a single magnetic layercontaining a ferromagnetic metal and oxygen. The magnetic layeris divided into three regions equally in the depth direction from the polymeric substrateto the surface of the magnetic layer, wherein the three regions are defined as a first regiona second regionand a third regionrespectively in accordance with a process of forming the magnetic layer. With defining that a maximum value of oxygen concentration in the first regionis 'Max', a minimum value of oxygen concentration in the second regionis 'Min', and a maximum value of oxygen concentration in the third regionis “Max” respectively, these values “Max”, “Min” and “Max” have relations of “Min”<“Max” and “Min”≦“Max”≦“Max