Patent ID: 8900465

Claim:
A method for reducing surface roughness of magnetic media, the method comprising: forming a recording media on a substrate, the recording media comprising at least one recording layer configured to store information magnetically, wherein the recording media comprises a plurality of peaks separated by a plurality of valleys and a first surface roughness; depositing a first carbon layer directly on the recording media in a single deposition, the first carbon layer having a first average preselected thickness, a second surface roughness, wherein the second surface roughness is less than the first surface roughness; etching the first carbon layer to have a second average preselected thickness less than the first average preselected thickness, wherein the second average preselected thickness is greater than a height of any of the plurality of peaks in the recording media; depositing a second carbon layer on the etched first carbon layer, the second carbon layer having a third average preselected thickness that is less than the first average preselected thickness; and implanting nitrogen in the second carbon layer.