High repetition granular Co/Pt multilayers with improved perpendicular remanent magnetization for high-density magnetic recording

Thanks to the strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA), excellent processing compatibility as well as novel spintronic phenomenon, Co/Pt multilayers have been attracting massive attention and widely used in magnetic storage.However, reversed magnetic domains come into being with the increasing layer repetition ‘N’ to reduce magneto-static energy, resulting in the remarkable diminishment of the remanent magnetization(Mr). As a result, the product of Mrand thickness(i.e., the remanent moment-thickness product, Mrt), a key parameter in magnetic recording for reliable data storing and reading, also decreases dramatically. To overcome this issue, we deposit an ultra-thick granular [Co/Pt]80multilayer with a total thickness of 68 nm on granular SiNxbuffer layer. The Mrt value, Mrto saturation magnetization(Ms) ratio as well as out of plane(OOP) coercivity(Hcoop) are high up to 2.97 memu/cm^(2), 67%, and 1940 Oe(1 Oe = 79.5775 A·m^(-1)),respectively, which is remarkably improved compared with that of continuous [Co/Pt]80multilayers. That is because large amounts of grain boundaries in the granular multilayers can efficiently impede the propagation and expansion of reversed magnetic domains, which is verified by experimental investigations and micromagnetic simulation results. The simulation results also indicate that the value of Mrt, Mr/Msratio, and Hcoopcan be further improved through optimizing the granule size, which can be experimentally realized by manipulating the process parameter of SiNxbuffer layer. This work provides an alternative solution for achieving high Mrt value in ultra-thick Co/Pt multilayers, which is of unneglectable potential in applications of high-density magnetic recording.

Magnetic property and microstructure of SmCo magnetic recording films

Cr/SmCo/Cr thin films with Sm concentration of 37.7 at.% were deposited on glass substrates by magnetron sputtering. Measurement of magnetic properties showed that the SmCo film possessed good magnetic anisotropy, a high coercivity of 3019 kA/m and low magnetic exchange coupling. Microstructure analysis showed that crystallized SmCo5 magnetic phase, non-magnetic SmCo2 phase and Sm2Co7 phase co-existed in the film. The non-magnetic SmCo2 phase might function as isolator of SmCo grains, leading to a decrease of magnetic exchange coupling. Moreover, a Cr2O3 oxide layer which could protect the SmCo layer from oxidation formed at the surface of the Cr cap layer.

Writability issues in high-anisotropy perpendicular magnetic recording media

Challenges and recent developments associated with writability issues in high-anisotropy perpendicular recording media are reviewed. The writing field is limited by the high coercivity caused by the high anisotropy. Some new alterna- tives are proposed to solve the writability issues, including texture-tilting-assisted, domain-wall-assisted, energy-assisted magnetic recording technologies, and so on, In addition, we propose new alternatives for the next-generation of magnetic recording media.

First-order reversal curves of magnetic recording tapes

The interaction and its variation between magnetic grains in two kinds of magnetic recording tapes are investigated by first-order reversal curves （FORC） and the 5M method. The composition and microstructure of the samples are characterised by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The FORC diagram can provide more accurate information of the interaction and its variation, but the 5M curves cannot. The positive interaction field and the large variation of the interaction field have opposite effects on the δM curve.

Magnetic properties of soft layer/FePt-MgO exchange coupled composite perpendicular recording media

The magnetic properties of exchange coupled composite （ECC） media that are composed of perpendicular magnetic recording media FePt MgO and two kinds of soft layers have been studied by using an x-ray diffractometer, a polar Kerr magneto-optical system （PMOKE） and a vibrating sample magnetometer （VSM）. The results show that ECC media can reduce the coercivities of perpendicular magnetic recording media FePt-MgO. The ECC media with granular-type soft layers have weaker exchange couplings between magnetic grains and the magnetization process, for ECC media of this kind mainly follow the Stoner Wohlfarth model.

An iterative ITI cancellation method for multi-head multi-track bit-patterned magnetic recording systems

Bit-Pattemed Magnetic Recording(BPMR)is one of the emerging data storage technologies,which promises an Areal Density(AD)of about 4 Tb/in2.However,a major problem practically encountered in a BPMR system is Inter-Track Interference(ITI)that can deteriorate the overall system performance,especially at high ADs.This paper proposes an iterative ITI cancellation method for an m-head m-track BPMR system,which uses m heads to read m adjacent tracks and decodes them simultaneously.To cancel the ITI,we subtract the weighted readback signals of adjacent tracks,acting as the ITI signals,from the readback signal of the target track,before passing the refined readback signal to a turbo decoder.Then,the decoded data will be employed to reconstruct the ITI signal for the next turbo iteration.Experimental results indicate that the proposed system performs better than the conventional system that uses one head to read one data track.Furthermore,we also find out that the proposed system is more robust to media noise and track misregistration than the conventional system.

Effects of Ag layers on the microstructure and magnetic properties of CoPt/BN multilayer films

Ag/[BN/CoPt]5/Ag and [BN/Ag/CoPt]5/Ag thin films were deposited on glass substrates by magnetron sputtering and then annealed in vac- uum at 600 ℃ for 30 min. The structures and magnetic properties of CoPt/BN multilayer films were investigated as a function of Ag layer thickness. It was found that the face-centered tetragonal （fct） （001） texture of CoPt was improved greatly by introducing the Ag toplayer or sublayer together with an Ag underlayer. Good （001）-oriented growth, low intergrain interactions as well as high perpendicular anisotropy can be obtained in the Ag（3 nm）/[BN（2.5 nm）/CoPt（3 nm）]5/Ag（7 nm） and [BN（2.5 nm）/Ag（2 nm）/CoPt（3 nm）]5/Ag（10 nm） films, which become potential candidates for ultrahigh density magnetic recording media.

Late Holocene Moisture Changes in the Core Area of Arid Central Asia Reflected by Rock Magnetic Records of Glacier Lake Kalakuli Sediments in the Westernmost Tibetan Plateau and their Influences on the Evolution of Ancient Silk Road

The evolution of Ancient Silk Road(ASR) was deeply influenced by late Holocene moisture changes in Arid Central Asia(ACA). Nevertheless, controversies in Holocene moisture change pattern of ACA and poorly–constrained age models of related studies have made the discussion about late Holocene moisture changes in ACA and their influences on the evolution of ASR difficult. Recently, a high–resolution age model during the late Holocene was established for Kalakuli Lake, a small glacier lake located in the core area of ACA. A thorough rock magnetic investigation was carried out on Kalakuli Lake sediments based on this age model. The magnetic mineral assemblage of Kalakuli Lake sediments is still dominated by primary magnetite despite minor diagenetic effects. Comparisons of rock magnetic records to parameters previously used as indicator of glacier fluctuations suggest that clastic input to Kalakuli Lake was high(low) and magnetic grain size is relatively larger(smaller), when glaciers on Muztagh Ata advanced(retreated). The ARM/SIRM ratio, a magnetic grain size proxy, is directly related to lake hydrodynamics, which are ultimately controlled by glacier fluctuations on Muztagh Ata as the result of regional moisture changes. Late Holocene moisture changes indicated by the ARM/SIRM ratio are consistent with cool/wet and warm/dry oscillations indicated by the unweighted average of biomarker hydrogen isotopic data of the C26 and C28 n–alkanoic acids in a previous study about Kalakuli Lake, most moisture change records of the core area of ACA and winter insolation of the Northern Hemisphere, but opposite to Asian monsoon evolution. Given Asian monsoon and the westerlies are mutually inhibited, we propose that late Holocene moisture changes in the core area of ACA were controlled by the intensity of Asian monsoon versus the westerlies under the governance of solar insolation. Generally increased moisture since the late Holocene indicated by the ARM/SIRM ratio favored cultural exchange and integration between the western and the eastern Eurasia, which paved the way for the formation of ASR. Coincidence between significant increase in moisture at ~200 BC suggested by the ARM/SIRM ratio and the formation of ASR indicates moisture as an important factor that facilitated the formation of ASR. The onsets of three prosperity periods of ASR in the history generally correspond to periods when moisture was relatively high, nevertheless, stagnant periods of ASR do not coincide with periods when moisture was relatively low in the core area of ACA. Disorganized correlations between stagnant periods of ASR and moisture changes in the core area of ACA suggest that moisture is not the decisive factor influencing the evolution of ASR.

Below-diffraction-limited hybrid recording using silicon thin film super-resolution structure

We report on new experimental results for below-diffraction-limited hybrid recording. In our experiments, by means of focused laser assisted magnetic recording, the magnetic domains within TbFeCo thin films are obtained under an external perpendicular direct magnetic field. For a single magnetic medium, the domain size is mainly determined by the focused spot, which is about 620 nm for the laser wavelength λ=406 nm, and a numerical aperture of the lens of 0.80. However, when a silicon thin film structure is inserted between the substrate and the magnetic medium, the recording domains can be reduced obviously. By optimizing the experimental condition, even the size can be reduced to about 100 nm, which is below the diffraction limit, i.e. about 1/6 of the spot size. This is very useful for improving the hybrid recording density in practical applications.

Nanoscratch behaviors of La_(0.7)Sr_(0.3)MnO_(3+δ) thin films

The nanoscratch behaviors of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3＋δ films, which were deposited with ratio of O2/（O2＋Ar）, ranging from 4.4% to 45.6% by DC magnetron sputter, were investigated by a nanoindentation technique. The results indicated that the friction coefficient between the films and the diamond tip depended on the loading critical load. The friction coefficient was about 0.08-0.12 when the loading normal load was less than the loading critical load. The films displayed excellent elastic recovery after unloading. When the loading load was larger than the loading critical load, plastic deformation and ploughing appeared for the films. The friction coefficient was about 0.43 when the film was damaged completely. The suitable decrease in ratio of O2/（O2＋Ar） could improve the nanoscratch resistance of the films. The film deposited with O2/（O2＋Ar）=25% possessed better scratch resistance due to good elastic recovery, high nanohardness, and critical load. The loading critical load of the film was larger than 80 raN.

Surface Modification of a-Fe Metal Particles by Chemical Surface Coating

The structure of a-Fe metal magnetic recording particles coated with silane coupling agents have been studied by TEM, FT-IR, EXAFS, Mossbauer. The results show that a close, uniform, firm and ultra thin layer, which is beneficial to the magnetic and chemical stability, has been formed by the cross-linked chemical bond Si-O-Si. And the organic molecule has chemically bonded to the particle surface, which has greatly affected the surface Fe atom electronic structure. Furthermore, the covalent bond between metal particle surface and organic molecule has obvious effect on the near edge structure of the surface Fe atoms.

Micromagnetic simulation of Au interlayer in L1_0-FePt nanocomposite recording medium

Owing to the epitaxial inducement of Au atom,Au interlayer was introduced to increase the perpendicular anisotropy and the coercivity in L10-FePt nanocomposite film.Micromagnetics can be used to reveal the relationship between microstructure and magnetic properties of materials,and give the information of the perpendicular anisotropy and coercivity.In this work,the effect of the Au interlayer on annealed[Fe（0.5 nm）/Pt（0.5 nm）/Au（d nm）]10 nanocomposite recording medium by a micromagnetic model was studied.The model contains three phases：hard magnetic phase,soft magnetic phase,and nonmagnetic phase.The calculated result shows that perpendicular orientation degree of the texture and proportion of a hard magnetic phase to the total phase in the annealed film are both enhanced by increasing Au interlayer thickness.This result can be conducive to the improvement of the perpendicular anisotropy and the coercivity of the FePt nanocomposite film in the experiments.

Ll_0 FePt thin films with 001crystalline growth fabricated by ZnO addition and rapid thermal annealing

FePt films with a high degree of order S of the L10 structure （S 〉 0.90） and well defined [001] crystalline growth perpendicular to the film plane are fabricated on thermally oxidized Si substrates by the addition of ZnO and a successive rapid thermal annealing （RTA） process. The optimum condition to prepare high-ordering L10 FePtZnO films is 20 vol% ZnO addition and 450 ℃ annealing. The effect of the ZnO additive on the ordering process of the L10 FePtZnO films is discussed. In the annealing process, Zn atoms move to the film surface and evaporate. The motion of the Zn atoms accelerates the intergrain exchange and decreases the ordering temperature.

Multi-layer magnetic recording driven by a tunable laser

All-optical magnetization switching with features of low-power consumption and high writing speed is a promising road map to satisfy the demand for volume data storage. To promote denser and faster magnetic recording technologies, herein, all-optical helicity-dependent switching(AO-HDS) in multi-layer magnetic recording is proposed based on the chromatic aberration of an optical lens(Thorlabs’ s N-BK7 plano-convex uncoated lens).The power of the incident beams and the thickness of the multi-layer magnetic recording film are designed carefully. Besides, the uniformity of this multi-layer magnetic recording is optimized. At last, a prototype system of information multiplexing based on this multi-layer magnetic recording technology is constructed as well. Flexible and controllable magnetization reversals in different layers are also demonstrated by tuning the wavelength and helicity of working beams. We believe that such a prototype system can pave the way for increasing the storage density in an effective and low-cost mode.

Preparing Fe_5C_2 Intermetallic Compound by Mechanical Alloying Method at Room Temperature and Normal Pressure

Single phase Fe 5C 2 intermetallic compound was prepared by mechanical alloying method. The phase and crystal structure of sample were analyzed with X ray differaction spectrum. The decomposing temperature of the Fe 5C 2 compound is 596.4℃ determined by the DSC curve. It is further shown that the size of nanometer crystal grain is an important condition for carrying out the solid state reaction at room temperature and normal pressure.

Nonvolatile two-color holographic recording in near-stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals gated by incoherent ultraviolet light

Nonvolatile two-color holographic recording gated by incoherent ultraviolet （UV） light centered at 365 nm is investigated in near-stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals. The influence of thermal treatment on the two-color recording is studied. The results show that thermal reduction tends to improve the two-color recording performance, whereas thermal oxidation degrades the two-color recording. With an incoherent 0.2-W/cm2 UV gating light and a 0.25-W/cm2 semiconductor recording laser at 780 nm, a two-color recording sensitivity of 4 × 10^-3 cm/J and a recording dynamic range characterized by M/# of 0.12 are achieved in a 2.2-mm thermally reduced near-stoichiometric lithium niobate crystal. We attribute the improvement to the prolonged lifetime of small polarons and the increased absorption at the gating wavelength due to thermal reduction.

Performance of switch between exchange bias and coercivity:Influences of antiferromagnetic anisotropy and exchange coupling

The study on temperature dependence of exchange bias field and coercivity is crucial to solving the writing/reading dilemma in magnetic recording.Motivated by recent experimental findings,a complete switch between exchange bias field and coercivity with temperature is proposed,and the performance,characterized by average switching temperature(T_(S))and switching temperature width(T_(W)),controlled by antiferromagnetic anisotropy(KAF)and exchange coupling(J_(AF))constants is studied based on a MonteCarlo simulation.The results show that a linear relationship between T_(S)and KAFis established when KAFis above a critical value,while T_(S)is weakly influenced by J_(AF).On the contrary,T_(W)is insensitive to KAF,while strongly depends on J_(AF).Besides overcoming thermal energy,the increase of KAFfor a small J_(AF)guarantees the completely frozen states in the antiferromagnetic layers during magnetizing at higher temperature,below which the exchange bias field exists with a negligible coercivity.Otherwise,for a large J_(AF),the uncompensated antiferromagnetic magnetization behavior during the ferromagnetic magnetization reversal becomes complicated,and the switching process in the low temperature range depends on the irreversibility of uncompensated antiferromagnetic magnetization reversal during magnetizing,while in the high temperature range mainly influenced by the field-cooling process,resulting in a large T_(W).This work provides an opportunity to control/optimize the performance of the temperatureinduced switch between unidirectional and uniaxial symmetries through precisely tuning KAFand/or J_(AF)to meet different application demands in the next generation information technology.