Patent ID: 8361640

Claim:
A magnetic recording medium comprising: a substrate; magnetic recording layers formed on the substrate; the magnetic recording layers both include parts with a relatively higher element ratio of a ferromagnetic material, and parts with a relatively lower element ratio of a ferromagnetic material, which are provided periodically in the in-plane direction, an average height from a substrate surface of the parts with a relatively higher element ratio of a ferromagnetic material is higher than an average height from the substrate surface of the parts with a relatively lower element ratio of a ferromagnetic material, by between about 0.1-3 nm; and a nonmagnetic element is ion implanted into the parts with a relatively lower element ratio of the ferromagnetic material, and the nonmagnetic element extends through an uppermost one of the magnetic recording layers, and only partially through a magnetic recording layer beneath said uppermost one of the magnetic recording layers.