FePt L10 ordering and grain growth using millisecond pulse laser processing

The structural and magnetic properties of ∼12 nm thick FePt thin films grown on Si substrates annealed using a 1064 nm wavelength laser with a 10 ms pulse have been examined. The A1 to L1₀ ordering phase transformation was confirmed by electron and X-ray diffraction. An order parameter near 50% and a maximum coercivity of 12 kOe were obtained with laser energy densities of 25-32 J/cm². Grain growth, quantified by dark field transmission electron microscopy, occurred during chemical ordering at the laser pulse widths studied.     

L10-ordered high coercivity (FePt)Ag-C granular thin films for perpendicular recording

We report (FePt)Ag-C granular thin films for potential applications to ultrahigh density perpendicular recording media, that were processed by co-sputtering FePt, Ag, and C targets on MgO underlayer deposited on thermally oxidized Si substrates. (FePt)_1−xAg_x-yvol%C (0<x<0.2, 0<y<50) films were fabricated on oxidized silicon substrates with a 10 nm MgO interlayer at 450^oC. We found that the Ag additions improved the L1₀ ordering and the granular structure of the FePt-C films with the perpendicular coercivity ranging from 26 to 37 kOe for the particle size of 5-8 nm. The (FePt)_0.9Ag_0.1-50vol%C film showed the optimal magnetic properties as well as an appropriate granular morphology for recording media, i.e., average grain size of D_av=6.1 nm with the standard deviation of 1.8 nm.     

Comment on “The structure of monolayer SiO2 on Mo(1 1 2): A 2-D [Si-O-Si] network or isolated [SiO4] units?”

In a recent paper by Chen and Goodman [M. Chen, D.W. Goodman, Surf. Sci. 600 (2006) L255] the structure of SiO₂ films epitaxially grown on Mo(1 1 2) has been revisited. This structure has been the subject of several experimental and theoretical studies but it is still controversial, with some authors claiming that it is formed by isolated [SiO₄] units and others in favor of a two-dimensional [Si-O-Si] network. With this Comment we want do underline some aspects of the discussion, in particular related to the theoretical work performed so far on this subject, which in our opinion have not been properly represented in Ref. [M. Chen, D.W. Goodman, Surf. Sci. 600 (2006) L255].     

Ll_0 FePt thin films with 001crystalline growth fabricated by ZnO addition and rapid thermal annealing

FePt films with a high degree of order S of the L1 0 structure (S 0.90) and well defined 001crystalline growth perpendicular to the film plane are fabricated on thermally oxidized Si substrates by the addition of ZnO and a successive rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process. The optimum condition to prepare high-ordering L1 0 FePtZnO films is 20 vol% ZnO addition and 450℃annealing. The effect of the ZnO additive on the ordering process of the L1 0 FePtZnO films is discussed. In the annealing process, Zn atoms move to the film surface and evaporate. The motion of the Zn atoms accelerates the intergrain exchange and decreases the ordering temperature.     

L lo FePt thin films with [001] crystalline growth fabricated by ZnO addition and rapid thermal annealing

FePt films with a high degree of order S of the L10 structure （S 〉 0.90） and well defined [001] crystalline growth perpendicular to the film plane are fabricated on thermally oxidized Si substrates by the addition of ZnO and a successive rapid thermal annealing （RTA） process. The optimum condition to prepare high-ordering L10 FePtZnO films is 20 vol% ZnO addition and 450 ℃ annealing. The effect of the ZnO additive on the ordering process of the L10 FePtZnO films is discussed. In the annealing process, Zn atoms move to the film surface and evaporate. The motion of the Zn atoms accelerates the intergrain exchange and decreases the ordering temperature.     

Amorphous Ni-Al underlayer-accelerated L10 ordering transition of FePt thin films

In the present study, we succeeded in accelerating the L1₀ ordering transition of FePt thin films by employing amorphous Ni-Al as underlayers. The coercivity H_c = 5 kOe and ordering parameter S = 0.67 of FePt thin films deposited on a Ni-Al underlayer with a thickness of ∼5 nm after 380 °C annealing for 30 min are significantly higher than those H_c = 0.4 kOe and S = 0.35 of the films without the Ni-Al underlayer. The L1₀ ordering process of and the coercivity of FePt thin films can be significantly tuned by varying the thickness of the Ni-Al underlayer.     

XPS investigation of diffusion of two-layer ZrO2/SiO2 and SiO2/ZrO2 sol–gel films

Two-layer ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films were deposited on K9 glass substrates by sol–gel dip coating method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique was used to investigate the diffusion of ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films. To explain the difference of diffusion between ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films, porous ratio and surface morphology of monolayer SiO₂ and ZrO₂ films were analyzed by using ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). We found that for the ZrO₂/SiO₂ films there was a diffusion layer with a certain thickness and the atomic concentrations of Si and Zr changed rapidly; for the SiO₂/ZrO₂ films, the atomic concentrations of Si and Zr changed relatively slowly, and the ZrO₂ layer had diffused through the entire SiO₂ layer. The difference of diffusion between ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films was influenced by the microstructure of SiO₂ and ZrO₂.     

Epitaxial MoOx nanostructures on TiO2(1 1 0) obtained using thermal decomposition of Mo(CO)6

Stoichiometric and highly-defective TiO₂(1 1 0) surfaces (called as yellow and blue, respectively) were exposed to Mo(CO)₆ vapours in UHV and in a reactive O₂ atmosphere. In the case of yellow-TiO₂, an O₂ reactive atmosphere was necessary to obtain the Mo(CO)₆ decomposition at 450 °C with deposition of MoO_x nanostructures where, according to core level photoemission data, the Mo⁺⁴ state is predominant. In the case of blue-TiO₂ it was possible to obtain Mo deposition both in UHV and in an O₂ atmosphere. A high dose of Mo(CO)₆ in UHV on blue-TiO₂ allowed the deposition of a thick metallic Mo layer. An air treatment of this sample at 580 °C led to the elimination of Mo as MoO₃ and to the formation of a transformed layer of stoichiometry of Ti_(1−x)Mo_xO₂ (where x is close to 0.1) which, according to photoelectron diffraction data, can be described as a substitutional near-surface alloy, where Mo⁺⁴ ions are embedded into the titania lattice. This embedding procedure results in a stabilization of the Mo⁺⁴ ions, which are capable to survive to air exposure for a rather long period of time. After exposure of the blue-TiO₂(1 1 0) substrate to Mo(CO)₆ vapours at 450 °C in an O₂ atmosphere it was possible to obtain a MoO₂ epitaxial ultrathin layer, whose photoelectron diffraction data demonstrate that is pseudomorphic to the substrate.     

室温生长MgO底层诱导(001)取向FePt薄膜的有序化过程对FePt成分的依赖

室温下通过磁控溅射在表面热氧化的Si基片上生长了MgO/Fe_xPt_100-x双层膜和Fe_xPt_100-x单层膜系列样品，Fe_xPt_100-x的原子成分x=48—68.研究了热处理前后不同成分FePt薄膜的晶体结构和磁性的变化，尤其是MgO底层的引入对FePt的晶体结构和磁性的影响 关键词： FePt(001)薄膜 0相')" href="#">L1₀相     

CO2 adsorption on Cr(1 1 0) and Cr2O3(0 0 0 1)/Cr(1 1 0)

We attempt to correlate qualitatively the surface structure with the chemical activity for a metal surface, Cr(1 1 0), and one of its surface oxides, Cr₂O₃(0 0 0 1)/Cr(1 1 0). The kinetics and dynamics of CO₂ adsorption have been studied by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), Aug er electron spectroscopy (AES), and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), as well as adsorption probability measurements conducted for impact energies of E_i = 0.1-1.1 eV and adsorption temperatures of T_s = 92-135 K. The Cr(1 1 0) surface is characterized by a square shaped LEED pattern, contamination free Cr AES, and a single dominant TDS peak (binding energy E_d = 33.3 kJ/mol, first order pre-exponential 1 × 10¹³ s⁻¹). The oxide exhibits a hexagonal shaped LEED pattern, Cr AES with an additional O-line, and two TDS peaks (E_d = 39.5 and 30.5 kJ/mol). The initial adsorption probability, S₀, is independent of T_s for both systems and decreases exponentially from 0.69 to 0.22 for Cr(1 1 0) with increasing E_i, with S₀ smaller by ∼0.15 for the surface oxide. The coverage dependence of the adsorption probability, S(Θ), at low E_i is approx. independent of coverage (Kisliuk-shape) and increases initially at large E_i with coverage (adsorbate-assisted adsorption). CO₂ physisorbs on both systems and the adsorption is non-activated and precursor mediated. Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) have been used to parameterize the beam scattering data. The coverage dependence of E_d has been obtained by means of a Redhead analysis of the TDS curves.     

Adsorption of water on thin V2O3(0 0 0 1) films

V₂O₃(0 0 0 1) films have been grown epitaxially on Au(1 1 1) and W(1 1 0). Under typical UHV conditions these films are terminated by a layer of vanadyl groups as has been shown previously [A.-C. Dupuis, M. Abu Haija, B. Richter, H. Kuhlenbeck, H.-J. Freund, V₂O₃(0 0 0 1) on Au(1 1 1) and W(1 1 0): growth, termination and electronic structure, Surf. Sci. 539 (2003) 99]. Electron irradiation may remove the oxygen atoms of this layer. H₂O adsorption on the vanadyl terminated surface and on the reduced surface has been studied with thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), vibrational spectroscopy (IRAS) and electron spectroscopy (XPS) using light from the BESSY II electron storage ring in Berlin. It is shown that water molecules interact only weakly with the vanadyl terminated surface: water is adsorbed molecularly and desorbs below room temperature. On the reduced surface water partially dissociates and forms a layer of hydroxyl groups which may be detected on the surface up to T ∼ 600 K. Below ∼330 K also co-adsorbed molecular water is detected. The water dissociation products desorb as molecular water which means that they recombine before desorption. No sign of surface re-oxidation could be detected after desorption, indicating that the dissociation products desorb completely.     

Granular L10 FePt (0 0 1) thin films for Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording

Granular L1₀ FePt (0 0 1) thin films were deposited on a Si substrate with Ta/MgO underlayers by rf sputtering. The effects of in-situ heating temperatures (350-575 °C), pressures (2-40 mTorr), and sputtering powers (15-75 W) on texture and microstructure were investigated for the FePt films. We obtained films with grain densities approaching 50 teragrains per in.², grains sizes down to 2.2 nm with center-to-center spacing of 4.2 nm and coercivity of 24 kOe. The order parameters for the L1₀ FePt thin films were derived and calculated to be as high as 0.91. Although the grain size is small, the spacing between grains is too large for practical heat assisted magnetic recording media. To reach the desired results, we propose that layer-by-layer growth should be promoted in the FePt layer by inserting another underlayer that provides a better lattice match to L1₀ FePt.     

Improvement of photoluminescence mechanism of CTA-treated Si-implanted SiO2 films by using RTA

In this paper, a shift in the photoluminescence (PL) peak from blue to near-infrared region was observed in the Si⁺-implanted 400-nm-thick SiO₂ films with the rapid thermal annealing (RTA) method only. As the Si⁺-fluence was 1×10¹⁶ ions/cm², a blue band was observed in the films after RTA at 1050 °C for 5 s in dry-N₂ atmosphere; then, the band shifted from blue to orange upon increasing the holding temperature of RTA to 1250 °C in the films after the isochronal RTA in dry N₂. Furthermore, while the fluence was increased to 3×110¹⁶ ions/cm² and the holding temperature was at the same range between 1050 and 1250 °C, the PL peak occurred between red and near-infrared regions. Although the RTA and conventional thermal annealing (CTA) methods produce a similar mechanism, the CTA method needs a much longer annealing-time and a higher Si⁺-implanted dose than the RTA method for producing the same shift and intensity of PL peak from the as-implanted sample. Therefore, the RTA method can produce the mechanism in the Si⁺-implanted sample with the PL energy between blue and near-infrared band in place of the CTA method.     

氧化硅缓冲层对于退火形成锗量子点的作用研究

在化学氧化得到的二氧化硅薄层覆盖的硅衬底上,室温淀积锗膜并进行后期退火处理.实验表明,不同于传统退火过程形成大岛,通过一定工艺的控制可以获得高密度(~10¹¹ cm^-2)的均匀锗量子点.研究了后期退火温度对量子点的结构影响的局部反常规律并进行了原因分析.利用拉曼和荧光光谱研究了其应力和发光特性,发现在可见(500 nm)和近红外(1350 nm)的两个光致荧光峰出现. 关键词： 锗量子点 二氧化硅 退火     

Ag-Au合金/SiO$lt;sub$gt;2$lt;/sub$gt;复合薄膜的制备与表征

以AgNO₃,HAuCl₄和正硅酸乙酯为主要原料,利用溶胶-凝胶法和旋涂技术,通过热处理和紫外光辐射还原得到了不同n_Ag/n_Au（1∶0,2∶1,1∶2,0∶1）的Ag-Au合金/SiO₂复合薄膜.从扫描电子显微镜和X射线衍射谱的结果可以看出得到的薄膜均匀性好,复合薄膜中合金颗粒的尺寸为10 nm左右.利用紫外-可见分光光谱仪研究了复合薄膜的光吸收性能,结果表明,随着n_Ag/n_Au的降低,吸收峰的位置也由最初的Ag纳米粒子的等离子共振吸收峰430 nm附近,逐渐红移到Au纳米粒子的等离子共振吸收峰605和880 nm附近.从光吸收谱可以看出,n_Ag∶n_Au＝2∶1和1∶2的两个样品分别在515,730 nm附近和550,730 nm附近出现表面等离子共振吸收峰.这表明Au-Ag合金固溶体的形成. 关键词： 2')" href="#">Ag-Au合金/SiO₂ 紫外辐射 光吸收性能     

The simulation study for the nanometer-scale selective growth of Si islands on Si(0 0 1) windows in ultrathin SiO2 films

The nanometer-scale selective growth of Si islands on Si(0 0 1) windows in ultrathin SiO₂ films are studied using the kinetic Monte Carlo simulation. The growth of Si islands is reproduced in simulation where we assume that the migration barrier energy for Si adatom on SiO₂ film is far lower than that on the Si surface at the window.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy study of growth of Pt nanoclusters on thin film Al2O3/NiAl(1 0 0)

The growth of Pt nanoclusters on thin film Al₂O₃ grown on NiAl(1 0 0) was studied by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The samples were prepared by vapor depositing various amounts of Pt onto the Al₂O₃/NiAl(1 0 0) at different substrate temperatures in ultra high vacuum (UHV). The STM images show that sizeable Pt nanoclusters grow solely on crystalline Al₂O₃ surface. These Pt clusters appear to be randomly distributed and only a few form evident alignment patterns, contrasting with Co clusters that are highly aligned on the crystalline Al₂O₃. The size distributions of these Pt clusters are rather broader than those of the Co clusters on the same surface and the sizes are evidently smaller. With increasing coverage or deposition temperature, the number of larger clusters is enhanced, while the size of the majority number of the clusters remains around the same (0.4 nm as height and 2.25 nm as diameter), which differs drastically from the Pt clusters on γ-Al₂O₃/NiAl(1 1 0) observed earlier. These Pt cluster growth features are mostly attributed to smaller diffusion length and ease to form stable nucleus, arising from strong Pt-Pt and Pt-oxide interactions and the peculiar protrusion structures on the ordered Al₂O₃/NiAl(1 0 0). The thermal stability of Pt nanoclusters was also examined. The cluster density decreased monotonically with annealing temperature up to 1000 K at the expense of smaller clusters but coalescence is not observed.     

Sparse hyperspectral unmixing using an approximate L0 norm

Sparse unmixing aims at finding an optimal subset of spectral signatures in a large spectral library to effectively model each pixel in the hyperspectral image and compute their fractional abundances. In most previous work concerned with the sparse unmixing, L₂ norm is used to measure the error tolerance and the L₁ norm is added as the sparsity regularization. However, in some applications, using L₁ norm to measure the error tolerance has significant robustness advantages over the L₂ norm. Besides, in some cases, using a smooth function to approximate the L₀ norm can obtain more accurate results than the L₁ norm in the field of sparse regression. Thus, in this paper, we consider the two alternative choices for sparse unmixing. A reweighted iteration algorithm is also proposed so that the unconvex regularizer (smoothed L₀ norm) can be efficiently solved through transforming it into a series of weighted L₁ regularizer problems. Experimental results on both synthetic and real hyperspectral data demonstrate the efficacy of the new models.     

Influence of growth and anneal conditions on the surface roughness of L10 Fe50PdxPt50−x thin films

We deposit Fe₅₀Pd_xPt_50−x alloy thin films by magnetron sputtering onto a TiN seed layer. Chemically ordered L1₀ films are obtained which display large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We find that the surface roughness of the film depends strongly on the growth and anneal conditions as well as the Pd composition of the film. Smooth films are obtained by deposition above the chemical ordering temperature and by removing Pd from the alloy.