AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Nanometer-Scale Science and Technology Tuesday Sessions
       Session NS-TuP

Paper NS-TuP2
Pulse Thermal Processing of FePt Thin Films

Tuesday, November 1, 2005, 4:00 pm, Room Exhibit Hall C&D

Session: Nanometer Scale Science and Technology Poster Session
Presenter: A.C. Cole, University of Alabama
Authors: A.C. Cole, University of Alabama
G.B. Thompson, University of Alabama
R.D. Ott, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
J.W. Harrell, The University of Alabama
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The L1@sub 0@ phase of FePt is a candidate material for next generation magnetic storage because of its high magnetocrystalline anisotropy. When FePt is sputter-deposited onto an ambient temperature substrate, it adopts a metastable solid-solution face-centered-cubic phase that is superparamagnetic. A subsequent anneal is required to chemically order FePt into the L1@sub 0@ phase with its superior magnetic recording properties. A consequence of conventional annealing is grain growth in the film, which is detrimental to increasing areal storage density. We report the use of multiple pulsed-thermal-processing with a high density infrared plasma light source at exposure times of 100 and 250 ms to chemically order FePt films. Upon ordering, no grain growth of the 15 nm diameter columnar grains was observed in 100 nm thick specimens. As the thin film thickness was decreased, grain growth became more prevalent for similar processing conditions. Moreover, for the smaller grain sizes, we observed a strong evolution of texture upon ordering. The morphology of the films pre- and post- processing has been characterized using high-resolution TEM and XRD. Magnetrometry of the samples has also been performed. The results of this work will address the consequences of pulsed-thermal-processing on phase and morphological stability at the nanometer-scale.