Method for manufacturing magnetic recording medium

A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, comprising:

• a first filling material deposition step of depositing a first filling material over a workpiece to cover recording elements, the workpiece having a substrate and a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate with the recording elements formed as convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern, and to fill at least part of a concave portion between the recording elements with the first filling material;
• a detection material deposition step of depositing a detection material over the first filling material;
• a second filling material deposition step of depositing a second filling material over the detection material;
• and
• a flattening step of irradiating a surface of the workpiece with a process gas to remove at least part of a deposited portion above the top surfaces of the recording elements to flatten the surface, the deposited portion including any of the first filling material, the detection material, and the second filling material,
• wherein these steps are carried out in that order,
• an oxide is used as at least one of the first filling material and the second filling material,
• in the detection material deposition step, a non-oxide is deposited and scattered over the first filling material so as not to fully cover the first filling material to form the detection material,
• a component of the detection material removed from and flying off the workpiece is detected to stop irradiation with the process gas based on a result of detecting the component of the detection material in the flattening step, and
• the detection material over the recording elements is fully removed in the flattening step.