Performance of a Chase-type decoding algorithm for Reed–Solomon codes on perpendicular magnetic recording channels

Algebraic soft-decision Reed–Solomon (RS) decoding algorithms with improved error-correcting capability and comparable complexity to standard algebraic hard-decision algorithms could be very attractive for possible implementation in the next generation of read channels. In this work, we investigate the performance of a low-complexity Chase (LCC)-type soft-decision RS decoding algorithm, recently proposed by Bellorado and Kav?i?, on perpendicular magnetic recording channels for sector-long RS codes of practical interest. Previous results for additive white Gaussian noise channels have shown that for a moderately long high-rate code, the LCC algorithm can achieve a coding gain comparable to the Koetter–Vardy algorithm with much lower complexity. We present a set of numerical results that show that this algorithm provides small coding gains, on the order of a fraction of a dB, with similar complexity to the hard-decision algorithms currently used, and that larger coding gains can be obtained if we use more test patterns, which significantly increases its computational complexity.     

Structural origin of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Ni–W thin films

The magnetic properties and microstructure of electrodeposited Ni–W thin films (0–11.7 at% W in composition) were studied. The film structures were divided into three regions: an FCC nanocrystalline phase (0–2 at% W), a transition region from FCC nanocrystalline to amorphous phase (2–7 at% W), and an amorphous phase (>7 at% W). In the transition region, (4–5 at% W) films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) were found. The saturation magnetization, magnetic anisotropy field, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and perpendicular coercivity for a typical Ni–W film (4.5 at% W) were 420 kA/m, 451 kA/m, 230 kJ/m and 113 kA/m, respectively. The microstructure of Ni–W films with PMA is composed of isolated columnar crystalline grains (27–36 nm) with the FCC phase surrounded by the Ni–W amorphous phase. The appearance of the interface between the magnetic core of Ni crystalline grains and the Ni–W non-magnetic boundary layer seems to be the driving mechanism for the appearance of PMA. The origin of PMA in Ni–W films is mainly attributed to the magnetoelastic anisotropy associated with in-plane internal stress and positive magnetostriction. The secondary source of PMA is believed to be the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of 〈1 1 1〉 columnar grains and its shape magnetic anisotropy. It is concluded that Ni–W electrodeposited films (4–5 at% W) may be applicable for perpendicular magnetic recording media.     

Microstructure and switching mechanism of stacked CoCrPt–SiO2 perpendicular recording media

Perpendicular magnetic recording media consisting of two stacked CoCrPt–SiO₂ recording layers incorporating different O₂ content in each layer were studied. The samples used Ru intermediate layers. With increasing O₂ levels in the lower recording layer, the samples exhibited marginal change in the crystallographic texture, and superior overall magnetic properties such as higher coercivity and improved exchange decoupling. However, the media grain size remained unchanged. Investigations into the switching mechanism by means of virgin and isothermal remanence magnetization measurements showed the predominance of Stoner–Wohlfarth coherent reversal modes in all samples. The thermal stability dropped slightly. A model that describes the evolution of the microstructure in stacked perpendicular recording media is presented to understand these observations.     

Out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy in columnar grown Fe–Ni films

Polycrystalline thin films usually present magnetic anisotropy resulting from a conjunction of textures, residual stresses, surface effects, and magnetic dipole distribution. The shape anisotropy, which is caused by the magnetic dipole distribution, is dominant in most of the cases, and it forces the occurrence of in-plane easy axes for the magnetization. Contrary to this common expectation, we have found predominant out-of-plane easy axes in a series of Fe–Ni thin films produced by DC sputtering. Films with different thicknesses, from 40 to 1000 nm, and different deposition temperatures have been tested and show similar results. These unusual characteristics are results of a particular columnar structure formed during the films growth. The magnetic characterization of the samples has been done by Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetometry, and ferromagnetic resonance. The unusual anisotropy observed is not believed to be uniform along the film thickness. This interpretation comes from the comparison of the experimental results with hysteresis obtained by micromagnetic simulations. Five distinct configurations for the anisotropies have been simulated for this comparison.     

Comparative evaluation of performance of percolated perpendicular media using FePt–MgO/Pt/Cr trilayer and FePt–MgO/MgO bilayer

(Fe₄₈Pt₅₂)_100−x–(MgO)_x films were used to examine the performance of a perpendicular percolated medium. Two underlayers, Pt(0 0 1)/Cr(0 0 2) and MgO(0 0 2), were used for comparison. The (Fe₄₈Pt₅₂)_100−x–(MgO)_x film with the MgO underlayer exhibits a strong preference to segregate at FePt grain boundaries. The microstructure with small closely packed MgO particles (2–4 nm) dispersed uniformly in the L1₀ FePt matrix was achieved in the Pt/Cr underlayered sample. Structural data reveal that the precipitate is crystallographically coherent with the surrounding L1₀ FePt phase and preserves good lattice alignment. Magnetic results indicate significant pinning behavior for those introduced non-magnetic columns with an enhanced coercivity of about 70%—much greater than that of the MgO underlayered samples. Percolated perpendicular medium can be realized in the FePt system and a Pt(0 0 1)/Cr(0 0 2) underlayer promotes the formation of pinning sites within the FePt grains.     

Mössbauer studies on Tb x Fe1−x alloy films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Amorphous ferrimagnetic Tb _x Fe_1?x films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and Tb _x Fe_1?x /NiFe exchange-coupled structures characterized by unidirectional anisotropy are obtained. The magnetic and chemical inhomogeneity of alloys of Tb _x Fe_1?x compensation composition is established on the basis of Mössbauer studies of these systems.     

Numerical calculation of Kerr spectra for Co/Pt magnetic multilayered films

The Kerr spectra as function of wavelength, incident angle and layer number are calculated with 4×4 matrix method. It is found that the calculated results are in good agreement with experimental ones for [Co (0.3 nm)/Pt (0.4 nm)]×43/glass (1.21 mm) and [Co (0.4 nm)/Pt (1.1 nm)]×53/glass (1 mm). In addition, for [Co (0.3 nm)/Pt (0.4 nm)]×43/glass (1.21 mm), it shows a maximum Kerr rotation at N = 10. For [Co (0.4 nm)/Pt (1.1 nm)]×53/glass (1 mm), the calculated Kerr rotation as a function of incident angle reveals maximum when the incident angle is 89°.     

Microstructural investigation of Fe–Zr–B–Ag soft magnetic thin films

A microstructural study of DC-sputtered Fe_93−xZr₃B₄Ag_x films on Si(0 0 1) substrates has been carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). All samples were deposited as a function of additive Ag content (x=0–6 at%), and annealed in the range of temperature, 300–600°C, for 1 h in order to obtain enhanced soft magnetic properties. Through XRD and TEM investigation, Ag-free Fe₉₃Zr₃B₄ films on Si(0 0 1) substrates consisted of nano-crystalline Fe-based phases. In the presence of Ag additive element, the microstructure of as-deposited Fe_93−xZr₃B₄Ag_x films consisted of a mixture of majority of Fe-based amorphous and Ag crystalline phases. In this case, additive element, Ag played a role in retarding the formation of Fe-based crystalline phases during deposition, and insoluble nano-crystalline Ag particles were dispersed in the Fe-based amorphous matrix. As the content of Ag increased, the intensity of Ag crystalline XRD peak increased. Crystallization of Fe-based amorphous phase in the matrix of Fe₈₈Zr₃B₄Ag₅ thin films occurred at an annealing temperature of 400°C. In the case of Fe₈₈Zr₃B₄Ag₅ films annealed at 500°C, a much enhanced permeability of the Fe-based alloy thin films associated with nano-crystalline phases was achieved.     

Bidirectional recording performance of a perpendicular evaporated Co–CoO tape

It is the first report on the recording performance of a perpendicular metal evaporated (ME) tape measured with a giant magnetoresistive head. To solve the application difficulty of oblique evaporated tape media to linear scan tape systems, a perpendicular evaporated Co–CoO tape was proposed instead. The prepared sample showed perpendicular anisotropy with coercivity of 107.3 kA/m, M_rt of 3.9 mA and squareness of 0.25. Identical recording characteristics were obtained for both head-media moving directions, which enables the application of perpendicular evaporated Co–CoO tape to linear scan tape systems. The better carrier-to-noise ratio was also confirmed by comparison with a current advanced product of metal particulate tape, which can realize the higher recording density of linear scan tape systems using ME tape.     

Microstructures and soft magnetic properties of as-deposited Fe–Sm–O thin films

The influences of O₂ partial pressure on saturation magnetization, coercivity and effective permeability of the as-deposited Fe–Sm–O thin films, which were fabricated by RF magnetron reactive sputtering method, were investigated. The nanocrystalline Fe_83.4Sm_3.4O_13.2 thin film fabricated at O₂ partial pressure of 5% exhibited the best magnetic softness with a saturation magnetization of 1.43 MA/m, coercivity of 65.2 A/m and effective permeability of about 2600 in the frequency range from 0.5 to 100 MHz. The electrical resistivity of Fe_83.4Sm_3.4O_13.2 was 130 μΩ cm. The microstructures and electrical resistivity were investigated in this work.     

Phase composition and magnetic structure in nanocrystalline ferromagnetic Fe–N–O films

The chemical and phase compositions and structure of the Fe–N–O films produced by reactive dc magnetron sputtering (in Ar or Ar + N₂ gas mixture atmospheres) under different conditions (energy parameters of magnetron, residual pressure in the magnetron chamber after preliminary pumping, operating pressure in gas mixture) have been investigated by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and vibrating sample magnetometry. Impurity of nitrogen and oxygen, which are present in the sputtered films, participate in the formation of their phase composition and determine its features. Some phenomena inherent in the nanocrystalline films in the metastable state were found. These are the formation of supersaturated bcc interstitial αFe-based solid solution and precipitation of α’ nitrous martensite with bct crystal lattice. The magnetic structure of the Fe–N–O films, which is characterized by the existence of stochastic domains discovered by correlation magnetometry method, is discussed in terms of the random anisotropy model. It was found that two modes of the magnetic anisotropy field of stochastic domains are formed, which determine the existence of two modes of the coercive field found in the magnetic hysteresis loops.     

Write-once medium with BiO_x thin films for blue laser recording

BiO_x films are prepared by reactive direct current(DC)magnetron sputtering from a metallic bismuth target in Ar O_2 with different O_2/Ar ratios.It is found that the optical property of BiO_x films is sensitive to O_2/Ar ratios and the films deposited at O_2/Ar ratio of 0.5 have the best reflectivity contrast under the same conditions.The structure and optical characteristics of the films are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and spectrophotometer.As revealed by investigations, the phase transition is mainly responsible for the change of optical properties.The static test results indicate that the BiO_x films have good writing sensitivity for blue laser beams.A high reflectivity contrast of about 52% at a writing power of 11 mW and writing pulse width of 800 ns is obtained.In addition,the films demonstrate good stability after being read for 10000 times.     

Microstructural and magnetic studies of L10 FePt–SiO2 nano-composite thin film with columnar structure for perpendicular magnetic recording

(Fe₅₀Pt₅₀)_100−x-(SiO₂)_x films (x=0–30 vol%) were grown on a textured Pt(0 0 1)/CrRu(0 0 2) bilayer at 420 °C using glass substrates. FePt(0 0 1) preferred orientation was obtained in the films. Interconnected microstructure with an average grain size of about 30 nm is observed in the binary FePt film. As SiO₂ is incorporated, it precipitates as particles are dispersed at FePt grain boundaries. When the content of SiO₂ is increased to 13 vol%, columnar FePt with (0 0 1) texture separated by SiO₂ is attained. The FePt columns have a length/radius ratio of 2:1. Additionally, the mean grain size is reduced to about 13 nm. The development of this well-isolated columnar structure leads to an enhancement in coercivity by about 44% from 210 to 315 kA/m. As the SiO₂ content exceeds 20 vol%, a significant ordering reduction is found accompanied by a transformation of preferred orientation from (0 0 1) to (2 0 0) and the columnar structure disappears, resulting in a drastic degradation in magnetism. The results of our study suggest that isolated columnar, grain refined, (0 0 1)-textured FePt film can be achieved via the fine control of SiO₂ content. This may provide useful information for the design of FePt perpendicular recording media.     

Role of electrolyte pH on structural and magnetic properties of Co–Fe films

Co–Fe films were electrodeposited on polycrystalline Titanium substrates from the electrolytes with different pH levels. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to study the crystal structure of the films. The XRD patterns showed that the films grown at the pH levels of 3.70 and 3.30 have a mixed phase consisting of face-centred cubic (fcc) and body-centred cubic, while those grown at pH=2.90 have only fcc structure. It was observed that the film composition, by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, contain around 88 at% Co and 12 at% Fe for all films investigated in this study. Morphological observations indicated that all films have grainy structure with the slight change of grain size depending on the electrolyte pH. Magnetoresistance measurements, made at room temperature, showed that all films exhibited anisotropic magnetoresistance, which is affected by the electrolyte pH. From the magnetic measurements made by vibrating sample magnetometer, the saturation magnetization increases as the electrolyte pH decreases. Furthermore, all films have in-plane easy-axis direction of magnetization.     

The high frequency magnetic properties of self assembled Fe–Co–Si–N nanogranular thin films

The effect of a variation in Si and N concentration on the microstructure, crystal structure and high-frequency magnetic properties of Fe–Co–Si–N nanogranular thin films was investigated. The films, prepared by rf magnetron sputtering, consisted of nanosized grains of FeCo as well as a Si and N rich intergranular amorphous phase. The Si concentration had a significant effect on the crystal structure of the FeCo phase. The resistivities of the Fe–Co–Si–N films were significantly enhanced by an increase in Si concentration. The resonant frequency of the Fe–Co–Si–N films could be tuned from 0.45 GHz to 2.1 GHz by controlling Si concentration. The N concentration greatly influenced magnetic properties and the variation in resonant frequency is in agreement with Kittel’s equation.     

The microstructure and magnetic properties of electrodeposited Co–Pt thin films on Ru buffer layer

For high-density magnetic recording media, this study examined the crystal structure and the texture of electrodeposited cobalt–platinum (Co–Pt) films on Ru buffer layer. A 15-nm-thick Co–Pt film exhibited very high out-of-plane coercivity and squareness, which were 6248 Oe and 0.89, respectively. The coercivity, H_c, of Co–Pt films grown on Ru buffer layer decreased significantly with increasing thickness, possibly due to the lattice misfit of 5.4% between Co–Pt and Ru, leading to the decrease of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of Co–Pt films as indicated by the observed hexagonal-closed-packed (HCP) (1 1¯ 0 1) plane of Co–Pt films. According to nano beam diffraction pattern (NBDP), however, Co–Pt film grown on Ru layer of HCP exhibited mixed HCP and FCC phases. Also, cross-sectional TEM image suggests that the high PMA may result from the columnar structure of physically isolated Co–Pt grains with the c-axis perpendicular to the film plane.     

Characterization of Fe–Nb sputtered thin films

Structure, composition and chemical behavior of co-sputtered Fe–Nb thin films are analyzed by different techniques, as conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. It is shown that oxygen is determinative in hindering the Fe–Nb alloy formation and, as a result, Fe_1−xO and Nb₂O₅ occur in significant amounts, even in vacuum. In spite of the oxygen role, a Fe–Nb alloy is formed in little amounts, which increase as the Nb content is increased. The increase of the Nb content is also related with the increase of Fe_1−xO and with a decreasing of the metallic Fe present. Mössbauer data indicate the Fe–Nb phase present is the Fe₂Nb Laves phase.     

Novel powder metallurgy technique for development of Fe–P-based soft magnetic materials

Novel powder metallurgy technique (hot forging technique) is used for the development of high-density Fe–P-based soft magnetic alloys such as Fe–P binary, Fe–P–Cr ternary and Fe–P–Cr–Si quaternary alloys. In this process, mild steel encapsulated powders were hot forged into slabs, hot rolled and annealed to relieve the residual stresses. These alloys were subjected to in-house characterization, e.g. density and theoretically calculated porosity content at various stages. Microstructural study has been carried out to compare observed porosity with the theoretically calculated porosity. X-ray diffraction studies of these alloys revealed presence of only ferrite as product phase. Various soft magnetic properties such as resistivity, coercivity, maximum flux density (at 350 G magnetic field), retentivity and total magnetic losses were also evaluated and reported. These alloys were made by hot forging using two different kinds of dies, e.g. flat die and channel die. It was observed that the flat-die forged alloys had more porosity than the channel-die forged alloys. Addition of alloying elements such as P, Cr and Si increased the resistivity of Fe. The higher the alloying addition, the higher is the alloy's resistivity. Fe–0.7P–0.7Cr–1Si alloy showed a resistivity as high as 44.1 μΩ cm. Coercivity values of the alloys ranged from 1.0 to 2.2 Oe. Addition of Si and P helped in reducing the coercivity values of the alloys. The higher the Si, P content, the lower were the coercivity values observed. Combined addition of P and Si helped in reducing the coercivity values significantly, for example Fe–0.7P–0.7Cr–1Si alloy showed coercivity value approximately 1.0 Oe. It was observed in this investigation that maximum flux densities of the alloys were linearly related with their porosity levels. Total magnetic losses of these alloys varied from 6.0 to 7.8 W/kg. The total magnetic loss of Fe–0.7P–0.7Cr–1Si alloy was the lowest (6.0 W/kg) owing to its highest resistivity combined with its lowest coercivity amongst the alloys developed in the present investigation. Alloys developed in this investigation were capable of hot/cold working to very thin gage of sheet (0.5 mm thickness). These alloys could find their possible application in manufacturing of transformer core.