Interface mediated control of microstructure and magnetic properties of FePt-C thin films

The microstructure and magnetic properties of FePt-C film deposited on the MgO/CrRu underlayer are studied in lieu of carbon doping in FePt and RF biasing assisted etching of the MgO underlayer. Increasing amounts of carbon doping in the FePt deteriorates the chemical ordering as a result of reduced kinetic energy of FePt adatoms due to frequent collision with carbon adatoms. This leads to a reduction in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy and hence the coercivity. RF etching of the MgO/CrRu underlayer before deposition of FePt helps to reduce the grain size and intergranular exchange interaction without adversely affecting the chemical ordering. Reduced intergranular exchange interaction leads to an increase in the coercivity.     

Dependence of microstructure and magnetic properties of FePt/B nanocomposite films on boron content

Compared with previous work, FePt/B nanocomposite films with larger B content in a wide range were prepared by magnetron sputtering plus subsequent annealing on Si (1 0 0) substrates. When the volume percentage is no less than 12%, both interstitial incorporation and intergranular segregation of the B are found, resulting an enlargement of the FePt lattice and a decrease of the FePt grain size. Effect of B content on magnetic properties, such as magnetization, switching field and exchange coupling of the FePt based films, is also discussed.     

Effect of oxygen pressure on microstructure and magnetic properties of strontium hexaferrite (SrFe12O19) film prepared by pulsed laser deposition

The effects of oxygen pressure during deposition on microstructure and magnetic properties of strontium hexaferrite (SrFe₁₂O₁₉) films grown on Si (100) substrate with Pt (111) underlayer by pulsed laser deposition have been investigated. X-ray diffraction pattern confirms that the films have c-axis perpendicular orientation. The c-axis dispersion (Δθ₅₀) increases and c-axis lattice parameter decreases with increasing oxygen pressure. The films have hexagonal shape grains with diameter of 150-250 nm as determined by atomic force microscopy. The coercivities in perpendicular direction are higher than those in in-plane direction, which shows the films have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The saturation magnetization and anisotropy field for the film deposited in oxygen pressure of 0.13 mbar are comparable to those of the bulk strontium hexaferrite. Higher oxygen pressure leads to the films having higher coercivity and squareness. The coercivity in perpendicular and in-plane directions of the film deposited in oxygen pressure of 0.13 mbar are 2520 Oe and 870 Oe, respectively.     

Effect of pulsed magnetic field annealing on the microstructure and texture of grain-oriented silicon steel

The effect of pulsed magnetic primary annealing on the microstructure and texture of two-stage cold-rolled silicon steel is investigated. Specimens are annealed at 700 °C for 1 h under a 1 T pulsed magnetic field along different directions with respect to the sample coordinate system. Crystallographic orientation and grain size are identified by analyzing electron backscattered diffraction pattern. The effects of magnetic field treatment are related to the magnetic field direction. Based on the anisotropy energy of ferromagnetic material during magnetic annealing, a hypothesis is proposed. All of the experimental results in this work support the proposed model.     

CoPt(FePt)-C纳米复合膜的结构与磁性

用磁过滤脉冲真空电弧沉积方法制备了CoPt(FePt) C纳米复合薄膜，并在不同温度下进行了退火处理，研究了薄膜中碳的含量以及退火温度对薄膜结构与磁性能的影响.制备态薄膜经过足够高的温度退火后，x射线衍射和磁力显微镜分析发现，在碳基质中生成了面心四方相的CoPt(FePt)纳米颗粒.对于特定组分为Co24Pt31C45和Fe43Pt35C22的薄膜，矫顽力以及颗粒尺寸都随退火温度的升高而增大，当退火温度为700℃时，Co24Pt31C45薄膜的矫顽力为21×105A/m，晶粒尺寸为17nm;当退火温度为650℃时，Fe43Pt35C22相应值分别为28×105A/m和105nm. 关键词： 磁记录材料 磁性薄膜 CoPt FePt纳米复合薄膜     

The study of magnetic properties and microstructures of nano-size FePt islands on amorphous carbon film

This work focuses on the formation mechanisms of nano-island FePt film on commercial copper grids covered with an amorphous carbon film. FePt films of different thickness (1-7.5 nm) were deposited on amorphous carbon film and then post-annealed at 700 °C for 30 min. The configuration of the film was changed during the annealing process due to the surface energy difference between the amorphous carbon films and FePt alloy. We have prepared nanometer-size island-shaped FePt films on the amorphous carbon films and investigated their magnetic properties and microstructures. A discontinuous nano-size island magnetic film can reduce the exchange coupling of the media and increase the recording density.     

Effects of layering and magnetic annealing on the texture of CoPt films

The effect of magnetic field annealing of magnetron sputtered CoPt alloy films and Co/Pt bilayers on the crystallographic texture of the obtained chemically ordered (L1₀) CoPt films is presented. In CoPt alloy films the main effect of the magnetic field is to suppress (1 1 1) growth in the early stages of L1₀ formation whereas the development of (0 0 1) versus (1 0 0) texture is related to chemical ordering strain. A higher degree of (0 0 1) texture is obtained by magnetically annealing Co/Pt bilayers since the initial (1 1 1) texture in the as-sputtered films is avoided and Co-Pt alloying occurs in the presence of the magnetic field.     

Low-temperature deposition of L10 FePt films for ultra-high density magnetic recording

A method based on strain-induced phase transformation was used to lower the ordering temperature of FePt films. The strain resulted from the lattice mismatch between the FePt film and the substrate or underlayer favored the ordering. The relationships between the lattice mismatch, the ordering of FePt film, and the corresponding magnetic anisotropic constant were investigated. A critical lattice mismatch near 6.33% was believed to be most suitable for improving the chemical ordering of the FePt films. CrX (X=Ru, Mo, W, Ti) alloys with (2 0 0) texture was used to control the easy axis and ordering temperature of FePt films on glass substrate. Large uniaxial anisotropy constant K_u?1×10⁷ erg/cm³, good magnetic squareness (∼1) and FePt(0 0 1) texture (rocking curve −5°) were obtained at the temperature T_s?250 °C when using CrRu underlayer. The diffusion from overlying layers of Ag and Cu and an inserted Ag pinning layer were effective in reducing the exchange decoupling and changing the magnetization reversal. The media noise was effectively reduced and the SNR was remarkably enhanced when a 2 nm Ag was inserted.     

Understanding magnetic properties of arrays of small FePt dots with perpendicular anisotropy

FePt dot arrays with dot size down to 15 nm are fabricated by film annealing and patterning. The array coercivity shows an increase with dot size decreasing from 100 to 30 nm, and a slight reduction for the 15 nm dot sample. Annealing these dot arrays at higher temperatures results in large enhancements in the coercivities, except the 15 nm dot array where the coercivity increases a little. Micromagnetic models of a 15 nm FePt dot with uniform and nonuniform edges of soft magnetic defects and with inside defects are calculated to reveal the microstructure origins of the dot magnetic properties. It is found that the volume fraction of the L1₀-phase FePt with perpendicular c-axis orientation is about 50% in the dot and the switching field distribution of the dot array can be influenced significantly by the defect arrangement in the dots.     

Sputtering gases and pressure effects on the microstructure,magnetic properties and recording performance of TbFeCo films

The MsHc value is considered to be a key factor in high-density recording, and controlling the microstructure on the magnetic underlayer was found to be an effective way of increasing the MsHc of the amorphous TbFeCo magneto-optical (MO) medium. In this paper, we investigate the TbFeCo film's magnetic properties and the effects on the microcolumnar structure, which depends on the sputtering conditions of using various sputtering gases including Ar, Kr, and Xe, and the recording characteristics of TbFeCo memory layers. With heavy sputtering gases such as Kr or Xe, the columnar structure can be prepared in a TbFeCo film at a pressure lower than 1.0 Pa. The columnar structure of a recording layer can be effectively formed thanks to the effects of the magnetic underlayer, which has a fine surface even in the sputtering process in which Xe gas is used. The above applies to the sputtering process in which Ar gas is used. Also, when Xe gas is used in the sputtering process, coercivity Hc is increased through the formation of a well-segregated microcolumnar structure built on domain wall pinning sites, and we obtain a large MsHc and a high squareness ratio of the Kerr-hysteresis loop. Our results indicate that processing a TbFeCo film with heavy sputtering gases is suitable for tiny mark stability because the temperature gradient of Hc is increased. The objective of the low-pressure sputtering process using Xe gas to produce the columnar structure is to achieve ultra-high-density recording with tiny mark stability in the TbFeCo medium. This has been confirmed with magnetic force microscope (MFM) images of stable tiny marks recorded on TbFeCo film.     

Evolution of structural and magnetic properties of sputtered nanocrystalline Co thin films with thermal annealing

Ultrafine grain films of cobalt prepared using ion-beam sputtering have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements. As-prepared films have very smooth surface owing to the ultrafine nature of the grains. Evolution of the structure and morphology of the film with thermal annealing has been studied and the same is correlated with the magnetic properties. Above an annealing temperature of 300 °C, the film gradually transforms from HCP to FCC phase that remains stable at room temperature. A significant contribution of the surface energy, due to small grain size, results in stabilisation of the FCC phase at room temperature. It is found that other processes like stress relaxation, grain texturing and growth also exhibit an enhanced rate above 300 °C, and may be associated with an enhanced mobility of the atoms above this temperature. Films possess a uniaxial anisotropy, which exhibits a non-monotonous behaviour with thermal annealing. The observed variation in the anisotropy and coercivity with annealing can be understood in terms of variations in the internal stresses, surface roughness, and grain structure.     

Effect of high magnetic field annealing on the microstructure and magnetic properties of Co-Fe layered double hydroxide

The effects of high magnetic field (10 T) on the products obtained by calcination of Co-Fe LDH precursors at different temperatures were investigated. The XRD results indicated that Fe^III substituted for Co^III in Co₃O₄ to yield Co^IICo^IIIFe^IIIO₄ under the calcination of Co-Fe LDH precursors at 400 °C. The products obtained by magnetic field annealing at 400 °C had a porous plate-like morphology, whereas the products without magnetic field annealing were composed of nanoparticles. It was seen that CoFe₂O₄ phase could be formed at low temperature (about 500 °C) under the magnetic field annealing. The grain size of products obtained by magnetic field annealing at 800 °C was larger than that of zero magnetic field. It was found that the saturation magnetization was significantly enhanced after magnetic field annealing, especially at lower temperature (≤600 °C). The possible reason for the effects on the microstructure and magnetic properties of products obtained by magnetic field annealing was discussed.     

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.     

Structure and magnetic properties of 300-nm-thick FePt films with Hf underlayer

Structure, microstructure, magnetic properties of 300-nm-thick FePt films with 10-nm-thick Hf underlayer have been studied. The experimental results showed that the very thin Hf underlayer could promote the ordering at reduced temperatures by facilitating the nucleation of the order phase, leading to refined grain size and magnetic domain size. Therefore, the permanent magnetic properties of FePt films were enhanced. (BH)_max and H_c of FePt films were greatly enhanced from 5.0–21.0 MGOe and 1.4–11.0 kOe for single layer to 10.2–23.6 MGOe and 4.5–13.2 kOe for Hf-underlayered films annealed in T_a region of 400–600 °C, respectively. Nevertheless, the severe interdiffusion between the Hf and FePt layers at T_a=800 °C resulted in the decreased S, coarsened surface morphology, grain and magnetic domain sizes, and therefore the slightly decreased (BH)_max to 18.0 MGOe.     

Thickness dependence of magnetic anisotropic properties of FeCoNd films

The magnetic FeCoNd films with thickness (t) from 50 to 166 nm were fabricated by RF magnetron co-sputtering at ambient condition. The amorphous structures of all of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. A spin reorientation transition from in-plane single domain state to out-of-plane stripe domain state was observed as a function of t. When t is below a critical thickness, magnetic moments lie in the film plane corresponding to in-plane single domain state because of the strong demagnetization energy. However, when t is increased, out-of-plane stripe domain structure was developed due to a dominated perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Scanning electron microscopy data indicate that the perpendicular anisotropy, which is responsible for the formation of stripe domains, may result from the shape effect of the columnar growth of the FeCo grains.     

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.     

Structure and magnetic properties of magnetron-sputtered [(Fe/Pt/Fe)/Au]n multilayer films

Using dc magnetron sputtering, Fe/Pt/Au multilayer films were prepared, and the effects of Au layer thickness and annealing temperature on structure and magnetic properties of the Fe/Pt/Au multilayer films were investigated. The as-deposited Fe/Pt/Au multilayer films have good periodic structure with composition modulation along the growth direction. The stress stored in the as-deposited films promoted the ordering of the films annealed at 400 °C. When the films were annealed at 500 °C, the thicker Au layer could restrain the order-disorder transformation region volume and lead to the decrease of the ordered volume fraction with Au layer thickness increasing.     

Effect of carbon mixing on the perpendicular magnetization of [FePt/C]n=4/FePt multilayer nanocomposite films

The effect of carbon mixing on the perpendicular magnetization of magnetron sputtered FePt thin films was studied using magnetic property measurement, X-ray diffraction, and TEM microscopy. Micromagnetic simulation was carried out to study the effect of texture on the perpendicular coercivity. Unlike general conviction, the mixing of FePt with carbon led to a significant enhancement in the perpendicular magnetization. The maximum enhancement of perpendicular magnetization was observed at about 20 vol% of carbon, where carbon amorphous film started to completely enclose the individual FePt grains. This reason was explained that the epitaxial growth and thus perpendicular texture of ordered FePt grains were maximized due to the relaxation of coherency for epitaxial growth which was maximized in the isolated grains. The perpendicular coercivity reached 8500 Oe, while the in-plane coercivity (120 Oe) remained negligible. The simulation showed that the enhancement of perpendicular texture can largely increase the perpendicular coercivity of FePt:C thin film.     

Density limits imposed by the microstructure of magnetic recording media

The fundamental limit of magnetic recording density on conventional media is set by the grain size. Once this grain size limit is reached, only a reduction of the grain size allows an increased SNR and thus an increased areal density. It is shown that, whilst maintaining thermal stability, scaling demands that the required anisotropy energy density K is proportional to the areal density, or the square of the areal density if the medium thickness reaches the critical thickness (A is the exchange stiffness of the material). Recording onto materials with such a high anisotropy requires some form of a write-assist. It is furthermore shown that the grain size limit cannot be obtained with intergranular exchange present, and six different requirements are listed that constitute ideal media. An alternative path for increasing areal density of magnetic recording is to use patterned media, where each bit contains only one grain. In this case, written-in errors dominate system performance and the maximum achievable areal density is estimated to be about 6 Tbit/in². Patterned media need to exhibit narrow distributions of their physical and structural properties with standard deviations of the order of 5% or less.     

Self-organisation,orientation and magnetic properties of FePt nanoparticle arrays

Self-organised magnetic arrays (SOMA) of high anisotropy particles are a promising candidate for ultra-high-density recording media. In principle SOMA media have the capability of storing 1 bit per particle, leading to possible reecording densities in excess of 10 Tbit/sq in. In this paper we consider two major aspects of SOMA media, namely the self-organisation process itself and the physics of the particle orientation process.