A very-high-performance ultrahigh-density vertical-magnetic-recording disk and associated method of manufacture is disclosed. The magnetic-recording disk has a rigid disk-shaped substrate composed of a titanium alloy or an austenitic stainless steel, an iron oxide layer overlying one or both surfaces of the substrate, and a barium ferrite layer overlying the iron oxide layer. The iron oxide and barium ferrite layers are applied by high-radiofrequency sputtering with high-radiofrequency substrate biasing.