Patent ID: 7440233

Claim:
A magnetic recording medium which records information using magnetization directions, comprising: a disk-shaped substrate which has a through-hole in the center; a magnetic layer which is provided on the substrate and records information using the magnetization directions; a protective layer which is provided on the magnetic layer; a bonding layer which is attached to the protective layer and contains a lubricant component; and a free layer which contains a lubricant component and is movable on the bonding layer toward the outer periphery of the substrate as the magnetic recording medium rotates around the center of the substrate, wherein the magnetic layer carries information in an outer zone outside a predetermined inner zone around the through-hole, wherein the thickness of the free layer gradually decreases from the inner periphery to the outer periphery, while the thickness of the bonding layer gradually increases from the inner periphery to the outer periphery, wherein the combined thickness of the bonding layer and the free layer is uniform in the radial direction of the substrate; and wherein the free layer covers the entire surface of the bonding layer.