CoCrPt-SiO2 Perpendicular Recording Media with a Crystalline Soft Underlayer

CoCrPt-SiO₂-based perpendicular recording medium with a crystalline soft underlayer (c-SUL). Low Deltathetas₅₀ of about 3 deg with a thin intermediate layer of 5 nm has been made in this media. In this paper, we report the orientation improvement, noise reduction of c-SUL and recording performance of the media. The magnetic properties and microstructure were characterized by magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) magnetometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission microscopy (TEM), and optical surface analyzer (OSA). Recording performance was measured by a Guzik spinstand stand tester with a ring-head writer and a MR reader.