Various apparatuses, systems, methods, and media are disclosed to provide a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium that has a magnesium (Mg) trapping layer that is configured to mitigate Mg migration in the HAMR medium so as to prevent near field transducer (NFT) damage caused by dissociated Mg reacting with a compound used in the NFT. In one example, the HAMR medium can include a substrate, a seed layer on the substrate and including MgO, a magnetic recording layer on the seed layer, and a Mg trapping layer on the substrate and configured to mitigate Mg migration from the seed layer to a surface of the HAMR medium above the magnetic recording layer.

A magnetic stack includes a substrate and a soft magnetic underlayer deposited on a top surface of the substrate. A heat sink layer is disposed on top of the soft magnetic underlayer, and an interlayer is deposited on top of the heat sink layer. A non-magnetic seed layer is deposited on top of the interlayer. A magnetic recording structure which includes more than one magnetic recording layer is deposited on the top surface of the non-magnetic seed layer.

A magnetic stack includes a substrate and a soft magnetic underlayer deposited on a top surface of the substrate. A heat sink layer is disposed on top of the soft magnetic underlayer, and an interlayer is deposited on top of the heat sink layer. A non-magnetic seed layer is deposited on top of the interlayer. A magnetic recording structure which includes more than one magnetic recording layer is deposited on the top surface of the non-magnetic seed layer.

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.

A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, an underlayer, and a magnetic layer that are arranged in this order. The magnetic layer has a granular structure including magnetic grains having a L1.sub.0 crystal structure, and grain boundary parts having a volume fraction in a range of 25 volume % to 50 volume %. The magnetic grains have a c-axis orientation with respect to the substrate. The grain boundary parts include a material having a lattice constant in a range of 0.30 nm to 0.36 nm, or in a range of 0.60 nm to 0.72 nm.

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.

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.

A magnetic recording medium includes: a substrate; an underlayer; and a magnetic layer including an alloy having a L1.sub.0 structure and a (001) orientation, wherein the substrate, the underlayer, and the magnetic layer are stacked in the recited order, and wherein the magnetic layer has a granular structure and includes a carbon hydride, a boron hydride, or a boron nitride hydride.

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, an underlayer formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer formed on the underlayer. The magnetic layer includes an alloy having a L1.sub.0 structure. The underlayer includes a first underlayer and a second underlayer. The first underlayer includes Mo and Ru, the content of Ru in the first underlayer is in a range of 5 atom % to 30 atom %, and the second underlayer includes a material having a body-centered cubic (BCC) structure. The second underlayer is formed between the first underlayer and the substrate.