A recording head includes a dielectric waveguide that extends towards a media-facing surface of the recording head. A hybrid waveguide is near the media-facing surface and includes the dielectric waveguide and a heat spreader plate having a crosstrack dimension that is at least twice that of a core of the dielectric waveguide. The hybrid waveguide is operable to combine a total internal reflection of the dielectric waveguide with a surface plasmon confinement of the heat spreading plate to excite TM-even mode in the hybrid waveguide. A surface-plasmonic plate is in contact with the heat spreader plate, the second surface-plasmonic plate has a peg extending from an enlarged portion. Light energy from the TM-even mode propagating from the hybrid waveguide to the surface-plasmonic plate causes the surface plasmonic plate to focus the light energy to heat a recording medium.

[Solving Means] A method of producing a magnetic powder includes: coating a surface of each of silica-coated precursor particles with at least one type of coating agent of a metal chloride or a sulfate; and firing the precursor particles coated with the coating agent.

The magnetic recording medium includes: a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder, in which a difference S.sub.afterS.sub.before between a spacing S.sub.after measured on a surface of the magnetic layer by optical interferometry after methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning and a spacing S.sub.before measured on the surface of the magnetic layer by optical interferometry before methyl-ethyl-ketone cleaning is more than 0 nm and 15.0 nm or less, and the non-magnetic support is an aromatic polyamide support having a moisture absorption of 2.2% or less.

A magnetic recording medium includes an elongated substrate, and a reinforcing layer and a carbon thin film disposed on one surface of the substrate.

A read head includes a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, a first diffusion-assist nonmagnetic metallic layer located between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, a second diffusion-assist nonmagnetic metallic layer located between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, and a semiconductor spacer layer located between the first diffusion-assist nonmagnetic metallic layer and the second diffusion-assist nonmagnetic metallic layer.

A read head includes a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, a first diffusion-assist nonmagnetic metallic layer located between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, a second diffusion-assist nonmagnetic metallic layer located between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, and a semiconductor spacer layer located between the first diffusion-assist nonmagnetic metallic layer and the second diffusion-assist nonmagnetic metallic layer.

The magnetic tape in which the followings are satisfied, after the magnetic layer is pressed at a pressure of 70 atm. A full width at half maximum of a spacing distribution measured by optical interferometry regarding a surface of the magnetic layer before performing a vacuum heating with respect to the magnetic tape is greater than 0 nm and equal to or smaller than 15.0 nm; a full width at half maximum of a spacing distribution measured after performing the vacuum heating is greater than 0 nm and equal to or smaller than 15.0 nm; and a difference (S.sub.afterS.sub.before) between a spacing S.sub.after measured by optical interferometry regarding the surface of the magnetic layer after performing the vacuum heating with respect to the magnetic tape and a spacing S.sub.before measured before performing the vacuum heating is greater than 0 nm and equal to or smaller than 12.0 nm.

Provided are a magnetic tape including: a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, in which a total thickness of the magnetic tape is equal to or smaller than 5.30 m, the magnetic layer has a servo pattern, a center line average surface roughness Ra measured on a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or smaller than 1.8 nm, and an absolute value N of a difference between a refractive index Nxy of the magnetic layer, measured in an in-plane direction and a refractive index Nz of the magnetic layer, measured in a thickness direction is 0.25 to 0.40, a magnetic tape cartridge and a magnetic tape apparatus including this magnetic tape, a magnetic tape cartridge and a magnetic tape apparatus including this magnetic tape.

The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support; a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on one surface side of the non-magnetic support; and a back coating layer including non-magnetic powder and a binding agent on the other surface side of the non-magnetic support, in which an isoelectric point of a surface zeta potential of the magnetic layer is equal to or smaller than 3.8, and an isoelectric point of a surface zeta potential of the back coating layer is equal to or smaller than 3.0, a magnetic tape cartridge, and a magnetic tape apparatus including this magnetic tape.

Provided is a sputtering target, the sputtering target containing 0.05 at % or more of Bi and having a total content of metal oxides of from 10 vol % to 60 vol %, the balance containing at least Co and Pt.