Magnetic Properties of Continuous and Patterned FePt Films

Abstract

Due to increasing demand in high density recording media, both continuous and patterned magnetic thin films with high magnetic anisotropy are widely studied to overcome the superparamagnetic effect. Continuous and patterned FePt thin films with the ordered face-centered tetragonal phase have drawn significant attention towards high density magnetic recording, because of their magnetic properties. The objectives of this project were to fabricate continuous and patterned FePt thin films, and to improve their magnetic properties via different underlayer, post-annealing temperature, and FePt film thickness. Crystalline Ag and textured MgO underlayers were found effective to improve magnetic properties. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy was formed in FePt films with thickness less than 10 nm. Furthermore, large area of patterned FePt films were successfully fabricated using deep ultraviolet lithography, pulsed laser deposition, lift-off, and post-annealing. MgO top layer could result in the enhancement of coercivity of the patterned FePt films with a well maintained patterned structure.