Effect of Thicknesses on the Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of CoPt Thin Films

Abstract

The microstructures and magnetic properties of CoPt thin films with thicknesses between 1 and 20 nm deposited on amorphous glass substrate and post-annealing at 600°C for 30 min were investigated. The morphology of CoPt thin film would change from a discontinuous nano-size CoPt islands into a continuous film gradually as the film thickness was increased from 1 to 20 nm. The formation mechanism of the CoPt islands may be due to the surface energy difference between the glass substrate and CoPt alloy. Each CoPt island could be a single domain particle. This discontinuous nano-island CoPt recording film may increase the recording density and enhance the signal to noise ratio while comparing with the continuous film. The as-deposited 5 nm CoPt film revealed the separated islands morphology after annealing at 600°C for 30 min. This nano-size CoPt thin film may be a candidate for ultra-high density magnetic recording media due to its discontinuous islanded nanostructure.