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Effects of Sputtering Conditions on Texture, Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of the CoCrPt/NiAl Thin Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Y.-N. Hsu ,
D. E. Laughlin  and
D. N. Lambeth
Y.-N. Hsu
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Data Storage Systems Center
D. E. Laughlin
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Data Storage Systems Center
D. N. Lambeth
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Data Storage Systems Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
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Abstract

The effects of sputtering argon pressures and sputtering power on the microstructure, texture and magnetic properties of NiAI underlayers on CoCrPt films were investigated. In this paper, the relationship between the sputtering conditions, microstructure, crystallographic texture and magnetic properties of these thin films will be discussed. By controlling the sputtering pressure and sputtering power, the texture and microstructure of NiAI underlayers were found to vary. This in turn was found to influence the magnetic properties of CoCrPt thin films. It was found that 10 mtorr is the optimum pressure to deposit the NiAl thin films to obtain the best magnetic properties for our system. At this argon pressure, the coercivity reached a maximum value because of the strongest CoCrPt (1010) texture and smallest grain size. At lower argon pressures (< 10 mtorr), NiAI tended to have a (110) texture reducing the CoCrPt (1010) texture, which in turn reduced the CoCrPt coercivity and S*. Also, high NiAl deposition pressures (>30 mtorr) yielded larger grains and a weaker CoCrPt (1010) texture, thereby decreasing the coercivity of the CoCrPt films. Increasing the sputtering power has been found to increase the CoCrPt coercivity and S* value. However, the grain sizes of the CoCrPt/NiAl thin films deposited at higher sputtering power were larger than those obtained at lower sputtering power.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 517: Symposium F – Wide Bandgap Semiconductors for High Power, High Frequency , January 1998 , 199
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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