Perpendicular magnetic recording medium and manufacturing method thereof

A perpendicular magnetic recording medium on which a signal is recorded and from which the signal is reproduced by a magnetic head, said perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprising:

• a recording medium base;
• and
• a magnetic layer comprising a low coercivity layer and a high coercivity layer, said magnetic layer as a whole having a thickness of under 0.3 micron, said low coercivity layer having a thickness in a range of 0.05 to 0.15 micron,
• said low coercivity layer being formed on said recording medium base and having a low coercivity in an in-plane direction thereof,
• said high coercivity layer being formed on said low coercivity layer and having a high coercivity in a direction perpendicular to a surface of said low coercivity layer,
• said low coercivity layer and said high coercivity layer being formed from the same magnetic material which is a magnetic material including cobalt-chromium added with at least one of niobium and tantalum,
• said magnetic layer having an in-plane M-H hysteresis characteristic described by an in-plane-M-H hysteresis loop which has a sharp rise in the vicinity of the origin.