AVS 45th International Symposium
    Magnetic Interfaces and Nanostructures Technical Group Thursday Sessions
       Session MI-ThA

Paper MI-ThA8
Growth Study of FePt(001) L1_0 ordered alloys using a Temperature Wedge Method

Thursday, November 5, 1998, 4:20 pm, Room 324/325

Session: Structure & Magnetism of Surfaces & Interfaces
Presenter: M.M. Schwickert, Ohio University
Authors: M.M. Schwickert, Ohio University
M.F. Toney, IBM Almaden Research Center
M.E. Best, IBM Almaden Research Center
J.-U. Thiele, IBM Almaden Research Center
L. Folks, IBM Almaden Research Center
G.R. Harp, Ohio University
D. Weller, IBM Almaden Research Center
Correspondent: Click to Email
The L1_0 ordered phase of FePt has unique properties like enhanced magneto-optical Kerr effects and large magnetic anisotropy. Of particular interest is the formation temperature and growth kinetics of this phase. Fully ordered material has been synthesized using MBE growth at temperatures as low as 500oC. Spontaneous ordering induced by surface diffusion with a 0.2 eV barrier height was found.@footnote 1@ The present study aims at a combinatorial mapping of growth temperatures and seed techniques of MBE type, (001) and (110) oriented FePt films on MgO substrates. We have developed a temperature wedge technique in which temperature gradients of several hundred Kelvin can be established. Respectively, electron beam evaporated films show systematic dependencies of magnetic, magneto-optic and structural properties as function of "wedge" position, corresponding to temperature. Magnetic hysteresis properties and anisotropy fields were characterized with a polar and transverse Kerr looper with spatial resolution. Structural data including quantification of the long range chemical ordering S as function of temperature were obtained from x-ray diffraction measurements. Finally we report on a combined AFM/MFM study of these films, revealing the equilibrium magnetic domain structure in correlation with topographic features. @FootnoteText@ @footnote 1@R.F.C. Farrow et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 69, 116 (1996)