A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer provided above the substrate, and a magnetic layer provided on and in contact with the underlayer. The underlayer includes a compound represented by a general formula MgO.sub.(1-x), where x falls within a range of 0.07 to 0.25. The magnetic layer includes an alloy having a L1.sub.0 structure, and the alloy having the L1.sub.0 structure includes one or more elements selected from a group consisting of Al, Si, Ga, and Ge.

A film-forming apparatus and a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium are provided. The film-forming apparatus includes a rotating body which moves a base material with a strip shape which has flexibility, a plurality of cathodes which are provided to oppose a rotating surface of the rotating body; and a plurality of accommodating sections which accommodate each of the plurality of cathodes. The method includes sequentially film-forming a plurality of thin films on a base material using a plurality of cathodes which are provided on a moving path of the base material while moving the base material with a strip shape which has flexibility. Each of the plurality of cathodes is accommodated in a plurality of accommodating sections.

A film-forming apparatus and a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium are provided. The film-forming apparatus includes a rotating body which moves a base material with a strip shape which has flexibility, a plurality of cathodes which are provided to oppose a rotating surface of the rotating body; and a plurality of accommodating sections which accommodate each of the plurality of cathodes. The method includes sequentially film-forming a plurality of thin films on a base material using a plurality of cathodes which are provided on a moving path of the base material while moving the base material with a strip shape which has flexibility. Each of the plurality of cathodes is accommodated in a plurality of accommodating sections.

A sputtering target according to the present invention contains Co and one or more metals selected from the group consisting of Cr and Ru, as metal components, wherein a molar ratio of the content of the one or more metals to the content of Co is ½ or more, and wherein the sputtering target contains Nb.sub.2O.sub.5 as a metal oxide component.

A sputtering target according to the present invention contains Co and one or more metals selected from the group consisting of Cr and Ru, as metal components, wherein a molar ratio of the content of the one or more metals to the content of Co is ½ or more, and wherein the sputtering target contains Nb.sub.2O.sub.5 as a metal oxide component.

A disk for use in hard disk drives (HDD) or other magnetic recording apparatus is provided that includes a pair of plating layers, such as polished nickel-phosphorous (NiP) layers, on opposing sides of substrate, such as an aluminum-magnesium (Al—Mg) alloy substrate. The thicknesses of the two polished plating layers are set so that a ratio (by percentage) of the combined thickness of the polished layers is about 3% of the total thickness of the disk. The ratio of about 3% is employed based on a finding that this thickness ratio provides a beneficial tradeoff between disk rigidity and disk weight, particularly for use with polished NiP coatings on Al—Mg alloy substrates. Multi-platter stacks of the disks are described. Methods are also described for fabricating such disks.

A disk for use in hard disk drives (HDD) or other magnetic recording apparatus is provided that includes a pair of plating layers, such as polished nickel-phosphorous (NiP) layers, on opposing sides of substrate, such as an aluminum-magnesium (Al—Mg) alloy substrate. The thicknesses of the two polished plating layers are set so that a ratio (by percentage) of the combined thickness of the polished layers is about 3% of the total thickness of the disk. The ratio of about 3% is employed based on a finding that this thickness ratio provides a beneficial tradeoff between disk rigidity and disk weight, particularly for use with polished NiP coatings on Al—Mg alloy substrates. Multi-platter stacks of the disks are described. Methods are also described for fabricating such disks.

A sputtering apparatus including a chamber, a gas supply configured to supply the chamber with a first gas and a second inert gas, the first inert gas and the second inert gas having a first evaporation point and second evaporation point, respectively, a plurality of sputter guns in an upper portion of the chamber, a chuck in a lower portion of the chamber and facing the sputter guns, the chuck configured to accommodate a substrate thereon, and a cooling unit connected to a lower portion of the chuck, the cooling unit configured to cool the chuck to a temperature less than the first evaporation point and greater than the second evaporation point, and a method of fabricating a magnetic memory device may be provided.

A sputtering apparatus including a chamber, a gas supply configured to supply the chamber with a first gas and a second inert gas, the first inert gas and the second inert gas having a first evaporation point and second evaporation point, respectively, a plurality of sputter guns in an upper portion of the chamber, a chuck in a lower portion of the chamber and facing the sputter guns, the chuck configured to accommodate a substrate thereon, and a cooling unit connected to a lower portion of the chuck, the cooling unit configured to cool the chuck to a temperature less than the first evaporation point and greater than the second evaporation point, and a method of fabricating a magnetic memory device may be provided.

A magnetic recording medium including: a non-magnetic substrate; an underlayer; a perpendicular magnetic layer; a diffusion preventing layer; and a protective layer, wherein the underlayer, the perpendicular magnetic layer, the diffusion preventing layer, and the protective layer are layered on the non-magnetic substrate in this order, the perpendicular magnetic layer has a multi-layer structure, the perpendicular magnetic layer includes an uppermost layer and at least one layer other than the uppermost layer, the uppermost layer including Co or Fe in magnetic particles, and the at least one layer other than the uppermost layer including an oxide, the diffusion preventing layer is provided between the perpendicular magnetic layer and the protective layer, and the diffusion preventing layer includes at least one component selected from a group consisting of Si, Ti, Cr, B, and Ru, or either a carbide, an oxide, or both, of the at least one component.