Perpendicular magnetic recording medium, method of manufacturing the same, and magnetic recording device

A method of manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium, the method comprising the steps of:

• forming a soft magnetic underlayer on a non-magnetic substrate;
• forming a first recording layer including a crystal grain having a magnetic property and a non-magnetic grain boundary having an oxide, as a main component, surrounding the crystal grain, on the soft magnetic underlayer;
• forming a non-magnetic layer having a portion corresponding to a recording track portion and a portion corresponding to a guard band portion between recording track portions and having a thickness larger than that of the portion corresponding to the recording track portion, on the first recording layer;
• forming a second recording layer containing a ferromagnetic metal as a main component and not containing an oxide, on the non-magnetic layer;
• forming a protective layer on the second recording layer;
• and
• forming a lubrication layer on the protective layer.

A magnetic recording device comprising:

• a perpendicular magnetic recording medium including a non-magnetic substrate having thereon at least a soft magnetic underlayer;
• a first recording layer including a crystal grain having a magnetic property and a non-magnetic grain boundary having an oxide, as a main component, surrounding the crystal grain;
• and a second recording layer containing a ferromagnetic metal as a main component and not containing an oxide, the perpendicular magnetic recording medium having a recording track portion for magnetically recording information and a guard band portion provided between adjacent recording track portions, in which at least one non-magnetic layer is provided between the first recording layer and the second recording layer, and a relationship between a total thickness t1 of the non-magnetic layer in the guard band portion and a total thickness t2 of the non-magnetic layer in the recording track portion is t1>t2;
• and
• a magnetic head including a main pole, a coil for magnetizing the main pole, a trailing shield disposed at a trailing side of the main pole, and a read element disposed at a leading side of the main pole.