Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-5g6vh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T17:07:22.452Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of DC Bias on the Thermal Stability of DC In-Line Sputtered CoCrTa/Cr Thin Film Media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

J. P. Wang
Affiliation:
Data Storage Institute, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore119260
L. P. Tan
Affiliation:
Data Storage Institute, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore119260
T. Y. F. Liew
Affiliation:
Data Storage Institute, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore119260
T. S. Low
Affiliation:
Data Storage Institute, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore119260
H. L. Wong
Affiliation:
StorMedia International Ltd (Singapore Branch), 9 Tuas Avenue 5, Singapore639335
Y. K. Lee
Affiliation:
StorMedia International Ltd (Singapore Branch), 9 Tuas Avenue 5, Singapore639335
Get access

Abstract

The effects of DC bias on the thermal stability and magnetic anisotropy of CoCrTa/Cr thin film media fabricated by using a DC in-line sputtering machine is presented in this paper. In sputtering, a negative DC bias voltage, varying from 0 to 400 V, was applied for the CoCrTa layer. The coercivity was observed to increase almost linearly from 1800 to 2300 Oe for negative bias voltage from 0 to 400V. The thermal stability of these media was studied by measuring the time decay of remanent magnetization under various reverse magnetic fields. The maximum value of the magnetic viscosity coefficient, which happens around remanent coercivity of each samples, decreases with increasing substrate bias voltage. This implies an improvement in the thermal stability of the CoCrTa/Cr thin film media. The magnetic anisotropy constants were measured using both a torque magnetometer and a vibrating sample magnetometer. The magnetic anisotropy measured using torque magnetometer decreases, while that measured using the method of the law of approach to saturation was found to be almost constant, with increasing bias voltage. The activation volumes decreased with increasing bias voltage. The magnetic hardness coefficient determined using the law of approach to saturation, indicating the number of in-depth defects in the CoCrTa layer, increased with increasing bias voltage. The internal stress in these films measured using X-ray diffractometer also supported the existence of in-depth defects. The pinning of the rotation of magnetization by these defects in the magnetic grains maybe responsible for the improvement of thermal stability.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Honda, S., Noguchi, H. and Kusuda, T., J. Magn. Jpn. Vo.13, no. S1, p. 913 (1989).Google Scholar
2. Tani, Noriaki, Hashimoto, Masanori, Ishikawa, Michio, Ota, Yoshifumi, Nakamura, Kyuzo and Itoh, Akio, IEEE Trans. Magn. Vol. 26, p.1282 (1990).10.1109/20.54013Google Scholar
3. Yogi, T., Nguyen, T. A., Lambert, S. E., Gorman, G. L., and Castillo, G., IEEE Trans. Magn. 26, p. 1578 (1990).10.1109/20.104453Google Scholar
4. Fisher, R. D., Khan, H. R., Heiman, N. and Nelson, C. W., IEEE Trans. Magn. Vol. 26, p.109 (1990).10.1109/20.50505Google Scholar
5. Lu, Miaogen, Judy, J. H. and Siversten, J. M., IEEE Trans. Magn. Vol. 26, p.1581 (1990).10.1109/20.104454Google Scholar
6. Pressesky, Jason, Lee, Sany Y., Duan, Shanlin, and Williams, Deborah, J. Appl. Phys. 69, p. 5163 (1991).10.1063/1.348114Google Scholar
7. Glijer, Pawel, Siversten, J. M., and Judy, J. H., J. Appl. Phys. 73, p. 5563 (1993).10.1063/1.353651Google Scholar
8. Deng, Y., Lambeth, D. N., Sui, X., Lee, L.-L. and Laughlin, D. E., J. Appl. Phys. 73, p.5557 (1993).10.1063/1.353649Google Scholar
9. Deng, Y., Lamberth, D. N. and Laughlin, D. E., IEEE Trans. Magn., Vol.29, p. 3676 (1993).10.1109/20.281266Google Scholar
10. Okumura, Y., Morita, H., Fujimori, H., Yang, X. B. and Endo, I., IEEE Trans. Magn., Vol.29, p. 3144 (1993).10.1109/20.280872Google Scholar
11. La, Brij B. and Shinohara, T., IEEE Trans. Magn., Vol. 30, p. 3981 (1994).Google Scholar
12. Lal, Brij B. and Russak, Michael A., J. Appl. Phys., 81, p. 3934 (1997).10.1063/1.365077Google Scholar
13. Lu, Pu-Ling, and Charap, S. H., IEEE Trans. Magn., Vol.30, p. 4230 (1994).Google Scholar
14. Han, De-Hua, Zhu, J. G., Judy, J. H. and Siversten, J. M., IEEE Trans. Magn., Vol.33, p. 3025 (1997).10.1109/20.617832Google Scholar
15. Néel, L., C. R. Acad. Sci., Vol. 220, p. 738 (1945).Google Scholar
16. Néel, L., C. R. Acad. Sci., Vol. 220, p. 814 (1945).Google Scholar
17. Wohlfaxth, E. P., J. Phys., F14, p. 1155 (1984).Google Scholar
18. Hosoe, Y., Tamai, I., Tanahashi, K., Takahashi, Y., Yamamoto, T., Kanbe, T., and Yajima, Y., IEEE Trans. Magn., Vol. 33, p. 3028 (1997).10.1109/20.617833Google Scholar
19. Brown, W. F., J. Appl. Phys., Vol.30, Suppl., p. 130S (1959).10.1063/1.2185851Google Scholar
20. Ho, K. Y., Xiong, X. Y., Zhi, J., and Cheng, L.-Z., J. Appl. Phys., Vol.74, p.6788 (1997).10.1063/1.355078Google Scholar