The invention provides a magnetic recording medium including a magnetic layer or a magnetic recording layer having a granular structure in which magnetic crystal grains are well separated from each other. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a seed layer, and a magnetic recording layer, wherein the magnetic recording layer includes a first magnetic layer which is a continuous film consisting of an ordered alloy, and a second magnetic layer having a granular structure consisting of magnetic crystal grains consisting of an ordered alloy and a non-magnetic crystal grain boundary, and the seed layer consists of a material selected from the group consisting of an NaCl-type compound, a spinel-type compound, and a perovskite-type compound.

Provided herein is a method including depositing an amorphous magnetic soft underlayer (SUL) over a substrate. A first portion of a heatsink layer is deposited over the SUL, wherein the first portion includes first heat conductive grains that are separated by first grain boundaries. A second portion of the heatsink layer is deposited over the first portion, wherein the second portion includes second heat conductive grains that are separated by second grain boundaries. The second grain boundaries are thicker than the first grain boundaries. A third portion of the heatsink layer is deposited over the second portion, wherein the third portion includes third heat conductive grains that are separated by third grain boundaries. The third grain boundaries are thicker than the second grain boundaries. A granular recording layer is deposited over the heatsink layer.

A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer, and a magnetic layer including an alloy having a L1.sub.0 type crystal structure with a (001) orientation, wherein the substrate, the underlayer, and the magnetic layer are stacked in this order, the underlayer includes a first underlayer, the first underlayer is a crystalline layer that includes a material containing W as a main component and a nitride whose content ranges from 1 mol % to 80 mol %, and the nitride includes one or more elements selected from a group consisting of Al, B, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W.

A stack includes a substrate and a magnetic recording layer. Disposed between the substrate and magnetic recording layer is an MgOTi(ON) layer.

Disclosed is a perpendicularly magnetized film structure that uses a highly heat resistant underlayer film on which a cubic or tetragonal perpendicularly magnetized film can grow with high quality, the structure comprising any one substrate (5) of a cubic single crystal substrate having a (001) plane, or a substrate having a cubic oriented film that grows to have the (001) plane; an underlayer (6) formed on the substrate (5) from a thin film of a metal having an hcp structure, such as Ru or Re, in which the [0001] direction of the thin metal film forms an angle in the range of 42 to 54 with respect to the <001> direction or the (001) orientation of the substrate (5); and a perpendicularly magnetized layer (7) located on the metal underlayer (6) and formed from a cubic material selected from the group consisting of a Co-based Heusler alloy, a cobalt-iron (CoFe) alloy having a bcc structure, and the like, as a constituent material, and grown to have the (001) plane.

A magnetic recording medium is described that includes a substrate and an amorphous soft underlayer (SUL). An NiPt seed layer is formed on the SUL where the Pt atoms have substitutionally replaced at least some of the Ni atoms within an Ni lattice structure of the NiPt to form a solid solution of NiPt. In some examples, the NiPt seed layer is formed of Ni.sub.40Pt.sub.60. An Ru interlayer is formed on the seed layer. In some examples, the NiPt seed layer has a lattice mismatch with the Ru interlayer of 0.4% or less. A magnetic recording layer is formed on the Ru interlayer. Additional layers or films may be provided. The medium may be configured for use with perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR). A data storage device that includes the magnetic recording medium is described. Methods for fabricating the magnetic recording medium are set forth herein as well.