Deposition of paramagnetic Co/sub 4/Cr/sub 2/ seed layer for ferromagnetic Co/sub 5/Cr/sub 1/ recording layer in 1000 KFCI perpendicular media

Abstract

In the dcvelopmcnl of high dcnsit) Co-Cr perpendicular magnetic rccording mcdia. i t IS required io use a seed layer. which promotes c-axis orientation and cnhanccs magnetic anisotropy of thc rccording layer. Whcn the Co-Cr ferrumagnctic film is directly dcposiled nn a substrate, its initial growth laycr bccomes amorphous and dues nut form thc wlumnac crystallites Considering two lypcs alloy of Co.Cr, and Co-rich Co,Cr,, ihe hcp latticc wnstant in c-planc of Co,Cr, alluy is large, since the Co.Cr, alloy hac largcr Cr conicnls than CQ,Cr, 111. Thercfore, the hcp Co,Cr, layer is easily dcpositcd on Ihc Co,Cr, cpitaxially. The Co,Cr, laycr posscsses high crystallinity and paramagnetism at roum tempcraturc and docs not affcci to the ferromagnclic layer dcpositcd on it. Even the 10 nm thick Co,Cr, films. rcvcal thc excellent c-axis orientation. On such the layer, high pelpendicular cacrcivity i\ ubtaincd by depositing thc Co-rich Co,Cr, laycr with thicknus of 100 nm The condition of its aspect ratio 1 0 1 is siiggcstcd as Ihc oplimization factor for the magnetlc charactcristics of Co-rich Co-Cr film with a sccd laycr. In this study, thc Co,Cr, seed laysn wcrc deposited at diffcrcnt substratc tcmperaturcs T, in order to improve thc magnetic charactcristics and thc crystallinity of the Co-rich Co-Cr alloy rcwrding laycr deposited on it. The seed laycr dcpusitcd at T, of 80 -C improved must cffcctively thc magnetic charJcleristics and 11 is expected io contribute to the progress of IOW noise and high dcnsity magnetic recording mcdia.