Effects of oxide additives on inter-grain interaction of CoPtCr-oxide

Abstract

By using first order reversal curves (FORCs), we reveal distinct magnetization reversal behavior in the CoPtCr films with different oxide additives, including Ta2O5, SiO2 and their mixtures. Increasing the ratio of Ta2O5-to-SiO2 alters the inter-grain interaction from an exchange coupling (parallel) to a dipolar-field coupling (anti-parallel). During the sputtering process, the Ta2O5 additives release extra oxygen to induce the formation of CrOx, observed from X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The reduced grain-to-grain exchange coupling strength by increasing Ta2O5 additives could be attributed to the increased volume concentration of oxides and/or the presence of the CrOx.