A magnetic recording medium includes: a substrate; a first underlayer; a second underlayer; and a magnetic layer including an alloy having a L1.sub.0 type crystal structure with a (001) orientation. The substrate, the first underlayer, the second underlayer, and the magnetic layer are stacked in this order. The first underlayer is a crystalline layer that includes Mo as a main component. The second underlayer is a crystalline layer that includes a material containing Mo as a main component and that includes an oxide. The content of the oxide in the second underlayer is in a range of from 2 mol % to 30 mol %. The oxide is an oxide of one or more kinds of elements selected from a group consisting of Cr, Mo, Nb, Ta, V, and W.

A magnetic recording medium includes: a substrate; a first underlayer; a second underlayer; and a magnetic layer including an alloy having a L1.sub.0 type crystal structure with a (001) orientation. The substrate, the first underlayer the second underlayer, and the magnetic layer are stacked in this order. The first underlayer is a crystalline layer that includes W as a main component. The second underlayer is a crystalline layer that includes a material containing W as a main component and that includes an oxide. The content of the oxide in the second underlayer is in a range of from 2 mol % to 30 mol %. The oxide is an oxide of one or more kinds of elements selected from a group consisting of Cr, Mo, Nb, Ta, V, and W.

A magnetic stack includes a interlayer structure and a magnetic recording layer disposed over the interlayer in the magnetic stack. The magnetic recording layer includes substantially ordered L.sub.10, <001> oriented crystalline magnetic grains laterally separated by a nonmagnetic, segregant material. The interlayer structure comprises a first layer having cubic crystal structure including <100> oriented crystalline grains and a second layer having crystalline grains laterally separated by a segregant material. The crystalline grains of the second layer are arranged in substantially vertically contiguous alignment with the crystalline grains of the first layer and the segregant material of the magnetic recording layer is arranged in substantially vertically contiguous alignment with the segregant material of the second layer.

A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, multiple underlayers formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer foisted on the multiple underlayers. A main component of the magnetic layer is an alloy having a L1.sub.0 structure. At least one of the multiple underlayers is a crystalline underlayer containing W. The W is a main component of the crystalline underlayer. The crystalline underlayer further contains 1 mol % or more to 20 mol % or less of one or more kinds of elements selected from B, Si, and C. A barrier layer including a material having a NaCl structure is formed between the crystalline underlayer and the magnetic 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 magnetic recording medium is provided that includes, in the order recited, a substrate; a first seed layer; a second seed layer containing ZnO; a third seed layer containing MgO; and a magnetic recording layer containing an ordered alloy. The first seed layer contains Ru and at least one material selected from the group consisting of oxides, carbides, and nitrides. Employing seed layers enables the magnetic recording medium to be a perpendicular magnetic recording medium by having the magnetic recording layer contain an ordered alloy suitable for perpendicular magnetic recording. Recording density is improved thereby while ensuring required thermal stability. Further, the invention achieves an increased thickness of the magnetic layer and a reduced grain size.

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.

A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, multiple underlayers formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer formed on the multiple underlayers. A main component of the magnetic layer is an alloy having a L1.sub.0 structure. At least one of the multiple underlayers is a crystalline underlayer containing W. The W is a main component of the crystalline underlayer. The crystalline underlayer further contains 1 mol % or more to 20 mol % or less of one or more kinds of elements selected from B, Si, and C. A barrier layer including a material having a NaCl structure is formed between the crystalline underlayer and the magnetic layer.

A perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic substrate; an underlayer including first and second underlayers; and a magnetic recording layer including a layer having a granular structure including grains of a magnetic crystal and grain boundary portions, wherein the first underlayer has a NaCl structure with a (001) orientation and contains a nitride or an oxide of at least one element. The first underlayer may contain a nitride of at least one of Cr, V, Ti, Sc, Mo, Nb, Zr, Y, Al, and B, and the second underlayer may include a plurality of island-shaped regions and contain at least one of Mg, Ca, Co, and Ni. The first underlayer may contains an oxide of at least one of Mg, Ca, Co, and Ni, and the second underlayer may include net-shaped regions and contain at least one of Cr, V, Ti, Sc, Mo, Nb, Zr, Y, Al, B, and C.

A method and system provide a magnetic recording media usable in a magnetic storage device. The magnetic recording media includes a substrate, at least one intermediate layer and a magnetic recording stack for storing magnetic data. The intermediate layer(s) include a majority phase having a first diffusion constant and a secondary phase having a second diffusion constant greater than the first diffusion constant. The magnetic recording stack residing on the intermediate layer such that the at least one intermediate layer is between the substrate and the magnetic recording stack.