Magnetic recording disk with metal nitride texturing layer

A magnetic recording disk of the type that has a plurality of thin films including a magnetic metal alloy layer, an underlayer onto which the magnetic layer is deposited and a protective overcoat over the magnetic layer, the disk comprising:

• a rigid disk substrate made of glass, silicon, silicon-carbide or glassy carbon and having a generally planar surface onto which said plurality of thin films are deposited, the substrate surface including an annular shaped region between the disk center and the disk outer, perimeter, the annular region covering an area less than the area of said disk substrate surface;
• a metal nitride film located directly on, in contact with and covering the entirety of said annular region of said disk substrate surface and onto which the underlayer is deposited, the metal nitride film covering the entirety of said annular region so that no portion of the underlayer deposited on the metal nitride film is in contact with said annular region of said disk substrate surface, the metal nitride film having a surface topography, after deposition on said annular region, of generally rounded bumps that provide a surface that is textured compared to the generally planar surface of said annular region of said disk substrate surface;
• an underlayer formed directly on, in contact with, and covering the entirety of the metal nitride film, the underlayer conforming to the surface topography of the metal nitride film and thereby having a textured surface, after deposition on the metal nitride film, that replicates the surface topography of the underlying metal nitride film;
• a magnetic layer comprising an alloy of cobalt and one or more other elements formed directly on, in contact with, and covering the entirety of the underlayer, the magnetic layer conforming to the surface topography of the underlayer and thereby having a textured surface, after deposition on the underlayer, that replicates the surface topography of the underlying underlayer;
• and
• a protective overcoat formed directly on, in contact with, and covering the entirety of the magnetic layer, the overcoat conforming to the surface topography of the magnetic layer and thereby having a textured surface, after deposition on the magnetic layer, that replicates the surface topography of the underlying magnetic layer.