A magnetic recording medium includes a nonmagnetic substrate, a soft magnetic underlayer, an orientation control layer, a perpendicular magnetic layer, and a protection layer that are arranged in this order. The perpendicular magnetic layer includes a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer that are arranged in this order on the orientation control layer. The first magnetic layer has a granular structure including an oxide at grain boundary parts of magnetic grains, and the second magnetic layer is closest to the protection layer among layers within the perpendicular magnetic layer, and includes magnetic grains made of a CoCrPt alloy, and a nitride of carbon or a hydride of carbon.

Provided is an FePt based magnetic material sintered compact, comprising BN and SiO.sub.2 as non-magnetic materials, wherein Si and O are present in a region where B or N is present at a cut surface of the sintered compact. A high density sputtering target is provided which enables production of a magnetic thin film for heat-assisted magnetic recording media, and also reduces the amount of particles generated during sputtering.

A product, according to one approach, includes a recording layer. The recording layer includes encapsulated nanoparticles each comprising a magnetic nanoparticle encapsulated by an encapsulating layer. A polymeric binder binds the encapsulated nanoparticles. A product, according to another approach, includes a recording layer. The recording layer includes encapsulated nanoparticles each comprising a magnetic nanoparticle encapsulated by an encapsulating layer, and a polymeric binder binding the encapsulated nanoparticles. An average diameter of the magnetic nanoparticles is in a range of 2 nanometers to 20 nanometers. An average thickness of the recording layer is less than 0.2 microns.

Provided is an FePt-oxide-BN-based sintered compact for a high-density sputtering target that can suppress generation of particles during sputtering.

The FePt-oxide-BN-based sintered compact for a sputtering target has a mass ratio of N to B (N/B) in a range of 1.300.1.

A tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a base, a nonmagnetic layer that is provided on the base and contains a nonmagnetic powder, and a magnetic layer that is provided on the nonmagnetic layer and contains a magnetic powder. In the magnetic recording medium, the magnetic layer has an average thickness of not more than 90 nm, the magnetic powder has an average aspect ratio of from 1.0 to 3.0, a coercive force Hc1 in a perpendicular direction is not more than 3,000 Oe, the coercive force Hc1 in the perpendicular direction and a coercive force Hc2 in a longitudinal direction satisfy the relation of Hc2/Hc10.8, the nonmagnetic layer has an average thickness of not more than 1.1 m, and the nonmagnetic powder has an average particle volume of not more than 2.010.sup.5 m.sup.3.

A tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; and a magnetic layer that is provided on the substrate and contains a magnetic powder. An average thickness of the magnetic layer is not more than 90 nm, an average aspect ratio of the magnetic powder is not less than 1.0 and not more than 3.0, the coercive force Hc1 in a vertical direction is not more than 3000 Oe, and the coercive force Hc1 in the vertical direction and a coercive force Hc2 in a longitudinal direction satisfy a relationship of Hc2/Hc10.8.

A tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; and a magnetic layer that is provided on the substrate and contains a magnetic powder. An average thickness of the magnetic layer is not more than 90 nm, an average aspect ratio of the magnetic powder is not less than 1.0 and not more than 3.0, the coercive force Hc1 in a vertical direction is not more than 3000 Oe, the coercive force Hc1 in the vertical direction and a coercive force Hc2 in a longitudinal direction satisfy a relationship of Hc2/Hc10.8, and a value of 1.50.5 is not more than 0.6 N in a tensile test of the magnetic recording medium in the longitudinal direction, where 0.5 is a load at an elongation rate of 0.5% in the magnetic recording medium and 1.5 is a load at an elongation rate of 1.5% in the magnetic recording medium.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a perpendicular magnetic recording medium which uses an Ru seed layer having a (002)-oriented hcp structure, and has a magnetic recording layer including a (001)-oriented L1.sub.0 ordered alloy suitable to perpendicular magnetic recording. The magnetic recording medium of the present invention includes a substrate, a first seed layer containing Ru, a second seed layer containing ZnO, a third seed layer containing MgO, and a magnetic recording layer containing an ordered alloy, in this order, the first seed layer having the (002)-oriented hexagonal closest packed structure.

Provided is an FePt based magnetic material sintered compact, comprising BN and SiO.sub.2 as non-magnetic materials, wherein Si and O are present in a region where B or N is present at a cut surface of the sintered compact. A high density sputtering target is provided which enables production of a magnetic thin film for heat-assisted magnetic recording media, and also reduces the amount of particles generated during sputtering.

Provided is a sputtering target, comprising: from 0.001 mol % to 0.5 mol % of Bi; from 45 mol % or less of Cr; 45 mol % or less of Pt; 60 mol % or less of Ru; and a total of 1 mol % to 35 mol % of at least one metal oxide, the balance being Co and inevitable impurities.