Perpendicular magnetic recording medium and magnetic storage device using the same

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a perpendicular magnetic recording medium that reduces the noise of granular recording layers, obtains sufficient overwrite characteristic that suppresses an increase in the magnetic cluster size, and allows high-density recording. According to one embodiment, a perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprising substrate having thereon at least soft magnetic layer, nonmagnetic intermediate layer, a perpendicular recording layer and protective layer formed in that order. The perpendicular recording layer consists of three or more layers of first recording layer, a second recording layer, and a third recording layer from the side nearer to the substrate. The first recording layer and the second recording layer have a granular structure comprising a grain boundary of an oxide surrounding ferromagnetic crystal grains containing Co and Pt, and the third recording layer has a non-granular structure mainly comprising Co and not containing an oxide. The grain boundary of the first recording layer contains Si, Cr and oxygen, and at least one element selected from Ti, Ta and Nb, and the grain boundary of the second recording layer contains Cr and oxygen, or contains Cr and oxygen and at least one element selected from Si, W and V.