Method of Manufacturing a Magnetic Recording Medium

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium avoiding degradation of magnetic performance due to a manufacturing process, including forming a mask protective film on a magnetic layer; forming a resist with a predetermined pattern on the mask protective film; forming a protective mask by etching the mask protective film using the resist as a mask; forming protrusions and recesses on a magnetic layer by etching the magnetic layer using the resist and the protective mask as masks; removing the protective mask; and forming a protective layer on the magnetic layer having the protrusions and recesses; where the magnetic recording medium is not exposed to the atmosphere during a period of time at least from the step of removing the protective mask to the step of forming the protective layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.