Control of resputtering in biased CoCrPt–SiO2 media to enhance grain decoupling and grain size distribution

Abstract

A CoCrPt–SiO2 magnetic layer was investigated as functions of argon pressure and substrate bias voltage. Use of these two parameters provided fine tuning of the average kinetic energy of incoming Ar+, which causes resputtering and, consequently, influences adatom mobility during film growth. Biasing and high Ar pressure resulted in a significant improvement in grain decoupling and grain size distribution in the films. Furthermore, resputtering of the metal and oxide species from the growing CoCrPt–SiO2 film was interpreted in terms of the surface adhesion energy of the species on the metal Ru underlayer.