In situ epitaxial growth of ordered FePt (001) films with ultra small and uniform grain size using a RuAl underlayer

Abstract

In situ epitaxial growth of ordered FePt thin films with small and uniform grain size using RuAl underlayer is reported. A transmission electron microscopy image of a 20-nm RuAl layer deposited on a glass substrate revealed small (D∼5.0nm) and uniform (ΔD∕D∼15%) grains. The (001) texture was formed in RuAl films at a substrate temperature higher than 100 °C. The FePt L10 (001) texture with mean grain size of 6.63 nm and narrow size distribution (17%) has been successfully induced using a RuAl underlayer at a substrate temperature of 400 °C. The influences of the RuAl composition ratio and Pt interlayer were studied.