MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIUM

PURPOSE:To provide the magnetic recording medium which has the good adhesion of a protective film to a magnetic recording layer, surface smoothness and wear resistance, has excellent corrosion resistance of the magnetic recording layer and can decrease the damage of a magnetic head. CONSTITUTION:The main parts of the magnetic recording medium are constituted of a substrate 1 consisting of an aluminum alloy, a hardening treated film 2 consisting of an Ni-P alloy, the magnetic recording layer 3 consisting of CoCrTa, and the protective film 4 consisting of amorphous carbon which is formed by a DC sputtering method set with low sputtering conditions and is disorderly arranged with amorphous graphite in amorphous diamond. A lubricating layer 5 is formed on this protective film 4. The above-mentioned amorphous carbon film constituting the protective film 3 exhibits the intermediate properties of the carbon films formed respectively by the conventional DC sputtering method and DVD method and has the excellent film characteristics, such as the above-mentioned adhesion, surface smoothness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance.