MAGNETO-OPTICAL RECORDING MEDIUM

PURPOSE:To attain alloying of a sputtering target and to improve productivity as well as the characteristics as a recording medium by using a specific alloy consisting of light rare earth metals in addition to heavy rare earth metals and transition metals. CONSTITUTION:The medium is constituted of >=1 kinds among the light rare earth metals Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, and Eu, >=1 kinds among the heavy rare earth metals Tb, Dy and Gd including Tb invariably, and >=1 kinds among the transition metals Fe, Co and Ni, in which the total content of Tb is confined to =1 kinds among the light rare earth metals in addition to the heavy rare earth metals and the transition metals to the medium. The prepn. of the magneto-optical recording medium by a sputtering method using the alloy target which is made by a casting method and has an extremely low level of impurity concn. The degradation in the magnetic characteristics is thus prevented.