With a demand for higher density in magnetic recording in recent years, the perpendicular magnetic recording method by which a magnetic field is recorded in the thicknesswise direction of a magnetic recording medium has attracted a great deal of attention. The magnetic material used in the perpendicular magnetic recording method must have an easy axis of magnetization in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the recording medium.
Hexagonal ferrites having uniaxitial magnetocrystalline anisotropy, for example, barium ferrite (BaFe.sub.12 O.sub.19) magnetic powder, are hexagonal plate crystals, and have an easy axis of magnetization in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface. The plate surface of such a magnetic powder hence tend to become parallel to the surface of a substrate by the mere coating of it. Since its easy axis of magnetization orients in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface with ease by a magnetic orientation treatment or mechanical orientation treatment, it is suitable for use as a magnetic material for coating film type perpendicular magnetic recording media.
The magnetic materials for the coating film type perpendicular magnetic media must satisfy the following requirements in addition to the fact that they are of a hexagonal system and have uniaxitial magnetocrystalline anisotropy.
Namely, in order to conduct recording, reproducing and erasing to magnetic recording media such as magnetic tapes and floppy disks by a magnetic head, the magnetic powder generally must have a moderate coercive force, Hc, of usually about 200 to 2,000 Oe and the highest possible saturation magnetization, .sigma.s, of at least 40 emu/g. In addition, its average particle diameter must be at most 0.3 .mu.m in view of recording wavelength and at least 0.01 .mu.m in view of super paramagnetism. Within this range, at most 0.1 .mu.m is preferred in view of noises.
Hexagonal barium ferrite (BaFe.sub.12 O.sub.19) magnetic powder known generally has a coercive force of about 5,000 Oe which is too large for a magnetic material for magnetic recording media. Hence, it has been proposed heretofore to reduce the coercive force by substituting a substituting element such as cobalt (Co) for part of the constituent elements of the barium ferrite (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,341,648 and 4,585,568). According to these methods, the coercive force of the hexagonal barium ferrite magnetic powder can be reduced to a coercive force suitable for use as magnetic recording media by controlling the amount of Co substituted (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 86103/1980).
The Co-containing hexagonal barium ferrite magnetic powders whose coercive forces have been controlled by the substitution of Co are however accompanied by a problem that when they are used for magnetic recording media, their coercive forces vary to a great extent. For example, the coercive forces of the Co-containing hexagonal barium ferrite magnetic powders where they have been used as magnetic recording media increases to about at least 1.1 times, and sometimes, about 2.0 times the coercive forces of their corresponding raw magnetic powder used, as shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1 __________________________________________________________________________ Co-containing hexagonal Coercive force Coercive force of Hc of Tape/ barium ferrite magnetic of magnetic magnetic recording Hc of magnetic JPO powder powder, Hc (Oe) medium, Hc (Oe) powder __________________________________________________________________________ 157718/85 Ba.sub.1.0 Fe.sub.8.0 Co.sub.0.40 1,110 1,210 1.09 168532/86 Ba.sub.1.0 Fe.sub.10.4 Co.sub.0.80 Ti.sub.0.80 845 925 1.09 207720/87 Ba.sub.1.0 Fe.sub.5.73 Co.sub.0.42 Ti.sub.0.42 Si.sub.0.1 515 652 1.27 216922/87 Ba.sub.1.0 Fe.sub.10.2 Co.sub.0.9 Ti.sub.0.45 Sn.sub.0.45 550 800 1.45 235220/87 Ba.sub.1.0 Fe.sub.6.93 Co.sub.0.53 Ti.sub.0.53 1,310 1,450 1.11 64626/88 Co-substituted barium ferrite 550 620 1.13 __________________________________________________________________________ Note: JPO stands for Japanese Patent Application LaidOpen No.
As shown in Table 1, the coercive forces of the hexagonal barium ferrite magnetic powders containing the elements substituted generally vary when they are formed into magnetic recording media. However, the variation tolerance in coercive force of a magnetic recording medium to be produced must be within (the preset value .+-.20) Oe, preferably, (the preset value .+-.10) Oe from the requirements in performance such as output and noises. For this reason, in order to produce a magnetic recording medium having a coercive force of a desired preset value with high precision within (the preset value .+-.20) Oe, preferably, (the preset value .+-.10) Oe, it is necessary to make an accurate forecast of a relation between the coercive force of a magnetic powder used and the coercive force of the magnetic recording medium produced therefrom, and to produce and use a magnetic powder having the same coercive force as the forecast value.
This will be described specifically by the magnetic powder in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 207720/1987 which has been shown in Table 1, as an example. In order to produce a magnetic tape having a preset coercive force of 650 Oe with precision of .+-.20 Oe, it is necessary to accurately produce a Co-substituted hexagonal barium ferrite magnetic powder having a coercive force of 512.+-.15 Oe in advance.
Although the coercive force of the Co-containing hexagonal barium ferrite magnetic powders can be controlled by changing the content of Co, the coercive force of a resulting magnetic powder considerably varies depending upon changes in content of Co even when the amount changed is extremely small (Nikkei New Material, the Apr. 28, 1986 issue, p. 52). In addition, its coercive force considerably varies depending upon slight changes in conditions of the production process. It is hence very difficult to produce stably a magnetic powder having a desired coercive force within the limited tolerance as described above.
Furthermore, even if a magnetic powder having a desired coercive force can be produced, it is necessary to control the process so as to prevent the coercive force from varying to a great extent upon the production of a magnetic recording medium from the magnetic powder. However, in the case of the Co-containing hexagonal barium ferrite magnetic powder, its coercive force tends to vary greatly upon the production of the magnetic recording medium depending upon the water content, surface ion density and degree of dispersion of the magnetic powder, or the changes of conditions in the production process of the magnetic recording medium. It is hence extremely difficult to produce a magnetic recording medium having the same coercive force as a preset value with high precision.
Hence, various propositions have been made with respect to Co-free magnetic powders for high-density magnetic recording. However, these magnetic powders known conventionally also show variations in coercive force upon the production of magnetic recording media such as magnetic tapes therefrom like the Co-containing magnetic powders.
For example, although Zr-containing barium ferrite magnetic powders making use of zirconium (Zr) as a substituent element have been known (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,789,494 and 4,781,981), the coercive forces of these magnetic powders vary to an extent as great as .+-. at least 30 Oe upon the production of magnetic tapes therefrom (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 146216/1988). In addition, since the average particle diameters of the Zr-containing magnetic powders are as great as at least 0.1 .mu.m, it is insufficient to make a resulting magnetic recording media high density. Furthermore, since their plate ratios are as great as at least 10, they involve a defect that no high charging rate is attained in a coating medium [for example, Toshiba Review, 40 (13), (1985)]. Moreover, the Zr-containing barium ferrite magnetic powders are great in temperature dependence of coercive force (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 193506/1988) Therefore, the temperature stability in coercive force, which is required for the resulting magnetic tapes, is insufficient. As has been described above, none of the Zr-containing barium ferrite magnetic powders free of Co have properties satisfying the standards required for the magnetic powders for magnetic recording media.
Barium ferrite magnetic powders containing molybdenum (Mo) and/or tungsten (W) as a substituent element have been known (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 310730/1988). However, these magnetic powders also vary in coercive force to the same extent as in the Co-containing barium ferrite magnetic powders upon production of magnetic tapes therefrom. In addition, since it is difficult to reduce the coercive forces of these magnetic powders containing Mo and/or W to 1000 Oe or lower, a general-purpose ferrite head cannot be used as a magnetic head when these magnetic powders are used magnetic tapes. A particular magnetic head is hence required. Furthermore, since the conventionally-known barium ferrite magnetic powders containing Mo and/or W are great in temperature dependence of coercive force, the temperature stability in coercive force is insufficient. Moreover, their great average particle diameter is accompanied by a defect that resulting magnetic recording media cannot be made high density. As has been described above, the barium ferrite magnetic powders, which are free of Co and contain Mo and/or W, are also insufficient in performance as the magnetic powders for high-density magnetic recording media.