Provided is an oxide-containing magnetic material sputtering target wherein the oxides have an average grain diameter of 400 nm or less. Also provided is a method of producing an oxide-containing magnetic material sputtering target. The method involves depositing a magnetic material on a substrate by the PVD or CVD method, then removing the substrate from the deposited magnetic material, pulverizing the material to obtain a raw material for the target, and further sintering the raw material. An object is to provide a magnetic material target, in particular, a nonmagnetic grain-dispersed ferromagnetic sputtering target capable of suppressing discharge abnormalities of oxides that are the cause of particle generation during sputtering.

Provided is an oxide-containing magnetic material sputtering target wherein the oxides have an average grain diameter of 400 nm or less. Also provided is a method of producing an oxide-containing magnetic material sputtering target. The method involves depositing a magnetic material on a substrate by the PVD or CVD method, then removing the substrate from the deposited magnetic material, pulverizing the material to obtain a raw material for the target, and further sintering the raw material. An object is to provide a magnetic material target, in particular, a nonmagnetic grain-dispersed ferromagnetic sputtering target capable of suppressing discharge abnormalities of oxides that are the cause of particle generation during sputtering.

A sputtering target according to the present invention contains Co and Pt as metal components, wherein a molar ratio of a content of Pt to a content of Co is from 5/100 to 45/100, and wherein the sputtering target contains Nb.sub.2O.sub.5 as a metal oxide component.

A sputtering target according to the present invention contains Co and Pt as metal components, wherein a molar ratio of a content of Pt to a content of Co is from 5/100 to 45/100, and wherein the sputtering target contains Nb.sub.2O.sub.5 as a metal oxide component.

A sputtering apparatus including a chamber, a gas supply configured to supply the chamber with a first gas and a second inert gas, the first inert gas and the second inert gas having a first evaporation point and second evaporation point, respectively, a plurality of sputter guns in an upper portion of the chamber, a chuck in a lower portion of the chamber and facing the sputter guns, the chuck configured to accommodate a substrate thereon, and a cooling unit connected to a lower portion of the chuck, the cooling unit configured to cool the chuck to a temperature less than the first evaporation point and greater than the second evaporation point, and a method of fabricating a magnetic memory device may be provided.

A sputtering apparatus including a chamber, a gas supply configured to supply the chamber with a first gas and a second inert gas, the first inert gas and the second inert gas having a first evaporation point and second evaporation point, respectively, a plurality of sputter guns in an upper portion of the chamber, a chuck in a lower portion of the chamber and facing the sputter guns, the chuck configured to accommodate a substrate thereon, and a cooling unit connected to a lower portion of the chuck, the cooling unit configured to cool the chuck to a temperature less than the first evaporation point and greater than the second evaporation point, and a method of fabricating a magnetic memory device may be provided.

Provided is a sputtering target to be used for forming a granular magnetic thin film in which FePt magnetic grains are isolated by an oxide and which constitutes a heat-assisted magnetic recording medium having enhanced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, thermal stability, and SNR (signal-to-noise ratio).

The sputtering target for a heat-assisted magnetic recording medium contains an FePt alloy and a nonmagnetic material as main components, where the nonmagnetic material is an oxide having a melting point of 800° C. or higher and 1100° C. or lower.

Provided is a sputtering target to be used for forming a granular magnetic thin film in which FePt magnetic grains are isolated by an oxide and which constitutes a heat-assisted magnetic recording medium having enhanced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, thermal stability, and SNR (signal-to-noise ratio).

The sputtering target for a heat-assisted magnetic recording medium contains an FePt alloy and a nonmagnetic material as main components, where the nonmagnetic material is an oxide having a melting point of 800° C. or higher and 1100° C. or lower.

Provided is a sputtering target which can lower a heat treatment temperature for ordering a Fe—Pt magnetic phase and can suppress generation of particles during sputtering. The sputtering target is a nonmagnetic material-dispersed sputtering target containing Fe, Pt and Ge. The sputtering target includes at least one magnetic phase satisfying a composition represented by (Fe.sub.1-αPt.sub.α).sub.1-βGe.sub.β, as expressed in an atomic ratio for Fe, Pt and Ge, in which α and β represent numbers meeting 0.35≤α≤0.55 and 0.05≤β≤0.2, respectively. The magnetic phase has a ratio (S.sub.Ge30mass %/S.sub.Ge) of 0.5 or less. The ratio (S.sub.Ge30mass %/S.sub.Ge) is an average area ratio of Ge-based alloy phases containing a Ge concentration of 30% by mass or more (S.sub.Ge30mass %) to an area ratio of Ge (S.sub.Ge) calculated from the entire composition of the sputtering target, in element mapping by EPMA of a polished surface obtained by polishing a cross section perpendicular to a sputtering surface of the sputtering target.

A method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium including: forming a diffusion preventing layer, wherein the magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic substrate; an underlayer; a perpendicular magnetic layer; the diffusion preventing layer; and a protective layer, wherein the perpendicular magnetic layer has a multi-layer structure, the perpendicular magnetic layer includes an uppermost layer and at least one layer other than the uppermost layer, the uppermost layer including Co or Fe in magnetic particles, and the at least one layer other than the uppermost layer including an oxide, the diffusion preventing layer is provided between the perpendicular magnetic layer and the protective layer, and the diffusion preventing layer includes at least one component selected from a group consisting of Si, Ti, Cr, B, and Ru, or either a carbide, an oxide, or both, of the at least one component.