Highly (001)-oriented thin continuous L1 FePt film by introducing an FeOx cap layer

Abstract

We demonstrate a thin and continuous L10 FePt film with a well-aligned (001) texture directly grown on Si || SiO2 substrates by introducing an FeOx cap layer. The agglomeration of capped FePt films is greatly suppressed by inhibiting the surface diffusion. This, in turn, yields a continuous and smooth film, which significantly promotes the (001) out-of-plane orientation and perpendicular anisotropy. The reduction of Fe oxides occurs during annealing, which not only promotes interdiffusion of Fe and Pt for L10 ordering but also removes the cap layer simultaneously. Therefore, additional etching for the cap layer is not required for further fabricating bit patterned media.