A film production method for producing a thin film on a surface of a workpiece, including the steps of: disposing the workpiece in a chamber; supplying a process gas into the chamber with the inside of the chamber being maintained at a predetermined pressure; applying a light having an energy between 3 eV and 10 eV to the surface of the workpiece to cause a photoelectron to be emitted from the surface of the workpiece; and applying an AC electric field to the surface of the workpiece, wherein the AC electric field has an electric field intensity causing a Townsend discharge to occur without generating a glow discharge plasma.

What is provided is a fluorine-containing ether compound represented by the following formula. R.sup.1R.sup.2OCH.sub.2R.sup.3CH.sub.2OR.sup.4R.sup.5

(R.sup.3 is a perfluoropolyether chain; R.sup.2 is represented by Formula (2), R.sup.4 is represented by Formula (3), R.sup.1 and R.sup.5 are hydrogen atoms or Formula (4); a and b in Formula (2) are an integer of 0 to 2, c in Formula (2) is an integer of 2 to 5, d and e in Formula (3) are an integer of 0 to 2, f in Formula (3) is an integer of 2 to 5; at least one of b in Formula (2) and e in Formula (3) is 1 or more; and k in Formula (4) is an integer of 3 to 6.)

##STR00001##

A method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium forms an unfinished product including a magnetic recording layer and a protection layer that are successively formed on a substrate, and forms a lubricant layer on the protection layer of the unfinished product. The lubricant layer is formed by coating a first organic fluorine compound on the protection layer of the unfinished product, and supplying a gas, including a second organic fluorine compound, onto the protection layer of the unfinished product, and decomposing the second organic fluorine compound by Townsend discharge and ultraviolet ray irradiation. The protection layer includes carbon, and the first organic fluorine compound includes a functional group at a terminal thereof.

Provided are a fluoropolyether compound having high heat resistance and capable of maintaining a surface protection layer even under high temperature, and a lubricant and a magnetic disk that contain the fluoropolyether compound. The fluoropolyether compound includes: three groups whose main chain contains a perfluoropolyether chain; and a trivalent linking group represented by Formula (1) below, the three groups being bound together via the trivalent linking group: ##STR00001## where R.sub.1 is a saturated hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, a hydroxyl group, or an amino group, and A.sub.1, A.sub.2, and A.sub.3 are each independently an aromatic group.

Provided is a compound with which a lubricant having excellent adhesion to a magnetic disk, particularly to a protective layer can be provided. A perfluoropolyether compound in accordance with one aspect of this invention has a structure in which two perfluoropolyethers are bonded to each other through an aliphatic ether, the aliphatic ether including a carbon atom to which a primary alcohol is bonded.

A fluorine-containing ether compound of the present invention is represented by Formula (1).
R.sup.1CH.sub.2R.sup.2CH.sub.2R.sup.3(1) (In Formula (1), R.sup.1 is an organic end group having 3 or more carbon atoms which includes two or more polar groups with each polar group being bonded to different carbon atoms and the carbon atoms to which the polar groups are bonded being bonded to each other via a linking group including the carbon atoms which are not bonded to the polar groups, R.sup.2 includes a perfluoropolyether chain represented by Formula (3), and R.sup.3 is a hydroxyl group or R.sup.1)
(CF.sub.2).sub.y1O((CF.sub.2).sub.yO).sub.z(CF.sub.2).sub.y1(3) (In Formula (3), y represents an integer of 2 to 4, and z represents an integer of 1 to 30).

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium has a non-magnetic multilayered overcoat on the recording layer. The overcoat includes a heat-dissipation layer, a diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer on and in contact with the heat-dissipation layer, and an optional interface layer between and in contact with the recording layer and the heat-dissipation layer. The heat-dissipation layer is a material with relatively high in-plane thermal conductivity, substantially higher than the in-plane thermal conductivity of both the DLC layer and the recording layer. The heat-dissipation layer laterally spreads the heat generated in the DLC layer by absorption of light from the near-field transducer to thereby reduce the temperature of the DLC layer. The optional interface layer is a material with relatively low thermal conductivity and increases the thermal resistance between the recording layer and the heat-dissipation layer.

Provided is a fluorine-containing ether compound capable of forming a lubricant layer having excellent wear resistance even when the thickness is thin, and suitable as a material of a lubricant for a magnetic recording medium. The fluorine-containing ether compound is a compound represented by the following formula (1): R.sup.1R.sup.2CH.sub.2R.sup.3CH.sub.2R.sup.4R.sup.5; wherein R.sup.3 is a perfluoropolyether chain; R.sup.1 is a terminal group bonded to R.sup.2; R.sup.5 is a terminal group bonded to R.sup.4; R.sup.1 is an alkenyl group or an alkynyl group; R.sup.5 is a group containing a heterocyclic ring; R.sup.2 is represented by the following formula (2); R.sup.4 is represented by the following formula (3); and a in the formula (2) and b in the formula (3) are each independently an integer of 1 to 3.

##STR00001##

Compounds [compounds (L)] comprising at least one monocyclic, polycyclic or polycondensed aromatic moiety [moiety (A*)], wherein: at least one carbon atom of moiety (A*) is substituted with a fluoropolyoxyalkene chain [chain (R.sub.f)], said chain (R.sub.f) comprising: a) a fluorocarbon segment having ether linkages in the main chain and b) at least one hydroxyl group and wherein: at least one other carbon atom of moiety (A*) is substituted with an electron-withdrawing group and mixtures thereof are herein disclosed. Disclosed are also a process for manufacturing compounds (L), a method for lubricating MRM comprising using compounds (L), a lubricant composition comprising one or more compounds (L) and a method for manufacturing a composition (C).

A fluorine-containing ether compound represented by a formula (1) shown below.

R.sup.4CH.sub.2R.sup.3CH.sub.2R.sup.2CH.sub.2R.sup.1CH.sub.2R.sup.2CH.sub.2R.sup.3CH.sub.2R.sup.5(1)

In formula (1), R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 represent the same or different perfluoropolyether chains, R.sup.2 represents a linking group containing at least one polar group, one or both of R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 represent a terminal group containing two or more polar groups, and R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are different.