METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A MAGNETIC DISK AND THE RESULTING DISK

A method for manufacturing a disk includes the step of forming a first nickel-phosphorus alloy layer 11 on an aluminum substrate 10, e.g., by electroless plating. A second nickel-phosphorus layer 12 is then sputtered onto the first nickel-phosphorus layer 11, and a magnetic alloy 13 is sputtered onto the second nickel-phosphorus layer. The magnetic alloy is typically sputtered immediately after the second nickel-phosphorus layer is formed without removing the disk from the sputtering apparatus between the time the second nickel-phosphorus layer is formed and the time the magnetic alloy is formed. Because of this, contaminants are not capable of lodging on or affecting the surface of the disk prior to formation of the magnetic alloy 13. The second nickel-phosphorus layer 12 is typically amorphous and therefore masks any nonuniformities in the surface of the first nickel-phosphorus layer 11. Because of this, the second nickel-phosphorus layer 12 serves as a uniform nucleation surface for forming the magnetic alloy, and thus the magnetic alloy exhibits uniform magnetic characteristics.