Patent ID: 7045175

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, the method comprising: forming a first protective layer of first material over a magnetic film provided on a substrate, the first protective layer having a thickness of about 0.2 nm to about 2 nm; forming a second protective layer of second material over the first protective layer by driving ions of the second material into the first protective layer, the second protective layer being no more than 3 nm; and forming a lubricant film comprising fluoro-polyether above the second protective layer, wherein the second material comprises a tetrahedral amorphous carbon film, wherein the first protective layer is formed by sputtering method, and the second protective layer is formed by cathodic arc deposition method, wherein the first protective layer is configured to prevent the ions of the second material from penetrating into the magnetic film, and wherein the first protective layer is a carbon film including nitrogen in a range of 6–20 atomic %.