Structural and magnetic properties of nanostructured FePt/MgO granular films

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 474; no. 1-2; pp. 141 - 145
• Main Authors: Ding, Y.F., Chen, J.S., Liu, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01.03.2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Deposition by sputtering; Domain effects, magnetization curves, and hysteresis; Exact sciences and technology; FePt; Magnetic properties and materials; Magnetization curves, hysteresis, Barkhausen and related effects; Magnetization curves, magnetization reversal, hysteresis, barkhausen and related effects; Magnetron sputtering; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; MgO; Multiplayer; Physics; 75.50.Ss; FePt; Magnetron sputtering; MgO; Multiplayer; Inorganic compounds; Iron alloys; Crystal growth from vapors; Multilayers; Size effect; Coercive force; Magnesium oxides; Grain size; Platinum alloys; Binary compounds; Magnetic hysteresis; Rapid annealing; 75.50.Ss FePt; Experimental study; Preferred orientation; Granular structure; Thickness; Binary alloys; Magnetrons; Transmission electron microscopy; Sputter deposition; Exchange interactions; Transition element alloys
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2004.08.079

Fe/Pt/MgO multilayer films were deposited by magnetron sputtering on silicon substrates at room temperature, followed by rapid annealing under vacuum. Both as-grown FePt and annealed films showed a (111) preferred orientation. For the samples post annealed at 500 °C for 30 min, both the in-plane and the out-of-plane coercivities of the FePt films decreased with increased MgO layer thickness, while the coercivities of the FePt films increased with increased MgO layer thickness when the samples were annealed at 600 °C for 60 min. By annealing the as-deposited films at 600 °C for 60 min, the nanostructured FePt/MgO films consisting of the FePt grains with L10 structure embedded in the MgO matrix were obtained. The exchange coupling and grain size of the FePt decreased with increasing MgO layer thickness.