Abstract
Development of high-density longitudinal magnetic recording media (used for computer hard disks) with good noise performance and high thermal stability requires optimization of both alloy composition and processing methods. In CoCr(PtTa) thin films, intergranular Cr segregation is responsible for decoupling the magnetic exchange between the small ferromagnetic grains. The corresponding Cr depletion within the grains affects the “bulk” magnetic anisotropy. However, the nanoscale structural and chemical details that are needed for modeling and for guiding material development are not well understood. Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) has been used to characterize a series of CoCrTa/Cr, CoCrPt/Cr, and CoCrPtTa/Cr media sputtered under various processing conditions, in order to understand their structure-property-processing relationships.Processing typical for hard-disk media was used: 30 or 60-nm films of a Cr underlayer followed by a Co alloy were d.c. magnetron sputtered onto a NiP-plated Al substrate pre-heated to 250°C.
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