High coercivity of ordered macroporous FePt films synthesized via colloidal templates

The preparation of a three-dimensionally (3D) ordered macroporous iron-platinum (FePt) film derived from monodisperse FePt nanoparticles (approximately 3 nm in diameter) and polystyrene latex particles (254 nm in diameter) is described. The prepared film has a hexagonally ordered porous structure and coercivity up to 10 kOe after annealing at a temperature of 600 degrees C. We also found that size of FePt particles was maintained at around 3 nm, even after annealing at a temperature of 600 degrees C.     

Magnetic and Morphological Properties of Electrodeposited Thick FePt Films on Metallic (Au, Ag, Cu) Underlayers

Electrodeposited thick films of FePt (with the nominal composition 50 % Fe/50 % Pt) on three metallic (Au, Ag, Au) underlayers were annealed at various temperatures. The magnetic and morphological properties of the resulting films were then monitored. The Au and Ag underlayers promoted the growth of the (bct) L1₀ FePt phase. The greater growth of this phase in the films deposited on the Ag underlayer led to the crystallographic texturing in the (001) direction. This was accompanied by a significant magnetic anisotropy and a negative shift of the remanent magnetization in the presence of an applied field. The coercivity of the Ag underlayer films increased to 18 kOe while the coercivity of the Au underlayer films decreased to ～2 kOe when the annealing temperature was increased to 800 ^°C.     

Evolution of texture and atomic order in annealed sinter-free FePt nanoparticles

Monodisperse FePt nanoparticles have been synthesized chemically. The spherically shaped as-made nanoparticles were 6.0?nm in size and they were single crystals. The average composition of these particles is determined as Fe(50)Pt(50). The nanoparticles did not show any sign of sintering after annealing at 800?°C for up to 120?min. The texture and order parameters of as-made and annealed FePt nanoparticles were determined from azimuthally integrated selected area electron diffraction patterns. The close to perfect [Formula: see text] axial texture in as-made particles degraded with increasing annealing time, in contrast to the order parameter, which showed a monotonic dependence on annealing time. With 60?min annealing, a 0.8 degree of chemical?ordering has been achieved and the particles were sinter-free as observed from bright field images.     

Effect of Ag underlayer on microstructures and perpendicular magnetic properties of CoPt nanocomposite thin films

CoPt/Ag films were prepared by magnetron sputtering on glass substrates and subsequent annealing. The dependence of degree of ordering and magnetic properties on Ag film thickness and annealing conditions were investigated. It was found that the Ag underlayer played a dominant role in inducing the (001) texture of the CoPt film after annealing. CoPt films with a thickness about 20 nm and Ag underlayers with a thickness about 70 nm are easy to obtain a large degree of ordering and a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy after annealing at 700 degrees C for 30 min. CoPt/Ag films with out-of-plane coercivity (Hc (perpendicular)) in the range of 13.5-14.0 kOe and a out-of-plane squareness (S(perpendicular)) of 0.97 were obtained after annealing at 700 degrees C for 30 min. Ag underlayer is beneficial to enhance the Hc(perpendicular)and S(perpendicular) of CoPt film significantly. The degree of ordering and perpendicular magnetic properties of the CoPt films which deposited on Ag underlayer are larger than those of the single layer CoPt films.     

Effects of Magnetic Annealing on Structure and Magnetic Properties of L10-FePt/Ag Films

The structural and magnetic properties of L1₀-FePt/Ag films were studied by X-ray diffraction and a vibrating sample magnetometer. The FeAg/Pt films were obtained by depositing FeAg thin films on thermally oxidized Si (001) substrates via magnetron sputtering and Pt layers on their surface after annealing FeAg thin films at 400 °C with and without an out-of-plane magnetic field of 10 kOe. These films were further annealed at various temperatures to obtain L1₀-FePt phase. The results indicated that the pre-annealing of FeAg thin films under 10 kOe magnetic field caused (001) orientation of Fe particles, and the deposition of Pt layer on such orientated underlayers reduced the ordering temperature of FePt in FeAg/Pt films, realizing the L1₀-FePt phase at 400 °C. The higher coercivity and ordering degree were also observed in the samples, compared with those pre-annealed without magnetic field at the same annealing condition.     

Structure and magnetic property of the FePt/CrPt bilayer

In this work we have studied the growth sequence of L10-CrPt antiferromagnetic layer effects on the microstructure and magnetic properties of the FePt/CrPt bilayer. The microstructure characteristics were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and the magnetic properties were measured at room temperature by using a vibrating sample magnetometer. Structural analysis showed that the low-temperature ordering and the in-plane orientation of the FePt layer with the CrPt underlayer were promoted due to lattice mismatch optimized after annealing at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, magnetic analysis also revealed that the FePt/CrPt bilayer had much larger exchange bias (H(E)) and higher coercivity (Hc) when the CrPt layer was as the underlayer after annealing at 350 degrees.     

Effect of sintered grain growth on chemical ordering in binary FePt/Cu nanoparticle arrays

Recent studies have shown a strong correlation between grain growth and chemical ordering in chemically synthesized FePt nanoparticles. In order to study this effect, we have prepared a series of samples in which 3.5 nm FePt nanoparticles are dispersed in a matrix of Cu nanoparticles. The samples were annealed at 600 degrees C and at 800 degrees C. Grain size was determined by XRD Scherrer analysis and time-dependent remanent coercivity measurements were made to determine the intrinsic remanent coercivity, Hcr0. For samples annealed at 600 degrees C, Hcr0 increases strongly with grain size up to approximately 5 nm and increases weakly with additional grain growth. By contrast, after annealing at 800 degrees C, Hcr0 appears nearly independent of grain size. The results suggest that isolated 3.5 nm FePt nanoparticles can be weakly ordered when annealed at 600 degrees C and sintering is necessary for significant chemical ordering.     

Effect of Zn Addition on the Reduction of the Ordering Temperature of FePt Nanoparticles

Monodisperse FePt nanoparticles with an average size of 4.11 nm were successfully synthesized via chemical co-reduction of iron acetylacetonate, Fe(acac)₃, and platinum acetylacetonate, Pt(acac)₂, by 1,2hexadecanediol as a reducing agent. Also (FePt)₈₇Zn₁₃ nanoparticles with average size of 4.24 nm were synthesized using the same method. The structural and magnetic properties of the prepared samples were respectively studied by XRD, TEM and VSM. L1₀ FePt ordered phase is formed at lower annealing temperature by addition of Zn. The (FePt)₈₇Zn₁₃ nanoparticles starts ordering after annealing at 400 °C, whereas FePt nanoparticles at 400 °C are still disordered alloys with superparamagnetic behavior. Additive Zn is very effective in decreasing the ordering temperature and enhancing the chemical ordering in (FePt)₈₇Zn₁₃ particles, So that coercivity 5200 Oe was measured for (FePt)₈₇Zn₁₃ nanoparticles annealed at 500 °C, compared with 1800 Oe for samples without Zn. This reduction in ordering temperature significantly reduces FePt particle coalescence and loss in positional order.     

FePt and CoPt nanoparticles co-deposited on silicon dioxide-a comparative study

We compare CoPt and FePt nanoparticles grown under identical conditions on oxidized Si?substrates by electron beam co-evaporation. Growth was performed under high vacuum conditions at substrate temperatures of 1023?K and was immediately followed by an annealing step. This process forms CoPt and FePt nanoparticles with mean diameters between ～17 and ～22?nm. In particular, the annealing step results in grain size enlargement for all samples and in a progressive magnetic hardening of the nanoparticles which reach maximum perpendicular coercivities of ～6.6?kOe (for the CoPt) and ～10.2?kOe (for the FePt nanoparticles). We show that, during this annealing step, a progressive transition towards the hard magnetic L1(0) ordered phase takes place in both materials. In contrast to FePt, CoPt nanoparticles must be annealed in order to crystallize in this phase.     

FePt-Ag nanocomposite thin films with longitudinal magnetic anisotropy

A well-controlled method to fabricate FePt thin films with the (200) texture and longitudinal magnetic anisotropy for high-density magnetic recording media is reported. FePt-Ag nanocomposite thin films with L1(0) ordered FePt grains embedded in an Ag matrix were deposited on the Cr90Ru10/glass by co-sputtering from Ag and FePt targets. The Ag doping suppressed the (001) texture but improved the L1(0) FePt (200) texture. The magnetic easy axis of FePt-Ag thin films changed from perpendicular to longitudinal in direction. In-plane coercivity of the films varied from 0.8 kOe to 6.5 kOe, depending on Ag contents in the films and under-layer thickness. The change from the (001) to (200) texture could be due to the competition of grain-boundary energy and epitaxial-strain energy.     

The effect of composition and structural ordering on the magnetism of FePt nanoparticles

Spherical 4 nm FePt nanoparticles were synthesized by the simultaneous decomposition of Fe(CO)5 and the polyol reduction of Pt(acac)2. The final Fe-to-Pt composition was tuned between 15-55 at.% by varying the ingredient precursor ratios. The effect of composition and structural ordering on the macroscopic magnetic features of final FePt nanoparticles was examined via post-synthetic annealing stages at different conditions. Structural ordering is promoted in all cases, though samples approximating equiatomic Fe/Pt ratios eventually transform to fct-FePt phase while the FePt3-phase is favored for the Pt-richer samples. Consequently, the magnetic features of the annealed nanoparticles may be categorized; the hard magnetic FePt region dominating for Fe content between 40-55 at.% and the soft magnetic FePt3 region dominating in the region 20-30 at.% while Fe content less than 20 at.% results in Pt-richer phases with diminishing ferromagnetic behavior.     

Low temperature magnetic hardening in self-assembled FePt/Ag core-shell nanoparticles

The FePt/Ag core-shell nanoparticles with different Ag shell thickness have been fabricated using a seed mediated technique. The core-shell nanoparticles are annealed at temperatures ranging from 350 to 600 °C for 30 min in vacuum. The magnetic measurement demonstrates that the FePt/Ag core-shell nanoparticles show a better chemical ordering tendency with a magnetic hardening temperature of 400–450 °C, which is almost 100 °C lower than that of pure FePt nanoparticles. Negative peaks on the δM curves of the annealed FePt/Ag core-shell nanoparticles demonstrate that the predominant interparticle interactions are dipolar type rather than exchange coupling one. Besides, the FePt/Ag core-shell nanoparticles show both sensitive plasmonic and superparamagnetic properties. The present results indicate that our composite nanoparticles are very promising from the viewpoint of the optoelectronics and biomedical applications.     

Effect of Oleic Acid and Oleylamine Surfactants on the Size of FePt Nanoparticles

FePt magnetic nanoparticles have been synthesized by superhydride reduction of FeCl₂ and Pt(acac)₂ at high temperature. Adding superhydride (LiBEt3H) to the phenyl ether solution of FeCl₂ and Pt(acac)₂ in the presence of oleic acid, oleylamine, and 1,2-hexadecanediol at 190?^°C, followed by refluxing at 245?^°C, led to monodisperse 3.5?nm FePt nanoparticles. The effect of oleylamine and oleic acid surfactants on the nucleation and growth of FePt nanoparticles were studied. The size of Pt was controlled by oleylamine surfactant in nucleation stage. To prevent sintering of the FePt nanoparticles, oleic acid surfactant was used in growth stage. The energy dispersive spectroscopy results revealed that the particle composition was first Fe₁₁Pt₈₉ in nucleation stage and after adding superhydride the composition changed to Fe₆₃Pt₃₇ in growth stage. The structural and magnetic measurements indicated that the L1₀ structure of FePt nanoparticles is formed after annealing and the coercivity of superlattice FePt nanoparticles increases to 7.5?kOe after heat treatments.     

Diffusion induced columnar structure, high perpendicular anisotropy and low transformation temperature in thick FePt films

Thick FePt films (800 nm) were deposited by electroplating using Ag electrode. 2 at.% Ag doping into the electrolyte can lead to a columnar structure after annealing. The annealed film shows a high coercivity and perpendicular anisotropy. The additive of Ag can also significantly reduce fct-phase ordering temperature to 400 °C, comparing with an ordering temperature of 700 °C without Ag doping. The diffusion from Ag electrode and dopant is attributed to the formation of columnar structure, perpendicular anisotropy and reduced ordering temperature.     

Chemically synthesized FePt nanoparticle material for ultrahigh-density recording

We have examined the magnetic anisotropy of the "heat-treated FePt nanoparticles" annealed in a magnetic field. The magnetic easy axis of the "heat-treated FePt nanoparticles" is found to be three-dimensional (3-D) random and a partial ordering fct structure is observed before annealing in the presence of a magnetic field. The value of M/sub r//M/sub s/ obtained is 0.5. After annealing in the presence of a magnetic field, the M-H loop indicates that the easy axis is oriented preferably in the perpendicular direction than along the in-plane direction. The value of H/sub c/(//)/H/sub c/(/spl perp/) at 10 K is 0.62 (1410 Oe/2250 Oe). The value of M/sub r//M/sub s/(/spl perp/) is 0.58 at 10 K larger than the value of M/sub r//M/sub s/(//). Therefore, a weak magnetic easy axis orientation is fundamentally possible on the chemically synthesized FePt nanoparticles. We have studied the recording characteristics of a 3-D random nanoparticle medium using a GUZIK spinstand and observed the recorded patterns for the medium by imaging with a magnetic force microscopy.     

Preparation and Magnetic Properties of FePt Nanodot Arrays Sputtering on AAO Templates

FePt nanodot arrays are the promising recording media for future super-high density magnetic recording because of their huge uniaxial magneto-crystalline anisotropy and good signal noise ratio. In this article, FePt nanodot arrays were successfully prepared on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates by magnetron sputtering, and an Ag underlayer was proposed to improve the magnetic properties of FePt nanodot arrays. The dependences of Ag underlayer, annealing temperature, and pore diameter on the magnetic properties of FePt nanodot arrays were investigated. Using the AAO templates with pore diameter of 80 nm and annealing temperature of 600°C, the coercivity of Ag/FePt nanodot arrays is improved significantly to 10262 Oe.     

Microstructure and magnetic properties of (0 0 1)-oriented L10 FePt films: Role of Ag underlayer and Fe/Pt ratio

FePt multilayer films were deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrate with thermally grown SiO₂ film and sputtered Ag underlayer at room temperature by dc magnetron sputtering and subsequently annealing in vacuum. Experimental results suggest that proper thickness of Ag underlayer and slightly rich of Fe content can effectively induce the (0 0 1) texture of FePt films. A Fe_57.4Pt_42.6 thin film on the 8 nm Ag underlayer exhibits a large perpendicular coercivity of 7.6 kOe with magnetic remanence close to 1.     

The effect of thickness on the texture and magnetic properties of single-layered FePt films by rapid thermal annealing

The single-layered FePt films with thickness in the range of 5 to 50 nm are deposited directly on Si(100) substrate without underlayer, then post annealed at 700 degrees C by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) technique. As the film thickness of FePt is over 20 nm, the L1(0) FePt(111) preferred orientation is presented and tended to in-plane magnetic anisotropy. However, the L1(0) FePt(001) texture is obtained and exhibited perpendicular magnetic anisotropy as the film thickness is decreased to 10 nm. Its perpendicular coercivity (Hc(perpendicular)), saturation magnetization (Ms) and perpendicular squareness (S(perpendicular)) are 14.8 kOe, 795 emu/cm3 and 0.79, respectively. On the other hand, both the grain size and domain size of FePt film decrease with decreasing the film thickness of FePt. The grain size for 10-nm FePt film is as small as 9.7 nm with domain size of 123 nm, which reveal its significant potential as perpendicular magnetic recording media for ultra high-density recording.     

Substrate effects on surface morphologies and magnetic properties of nanostructured FePt thin films

The substrate effects on surface morphologies, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of the sputter-deposited FePt thin films on Corning 1737, normal glass, and Si wafer substrates, respectively, were investigated. High in-plane coercivities of 10 kOe were obtained for the air-annealed films on Corning 1737 and Si wafer, where both films similarly have granular-like morphologies. Besides, increasing grain size and surface roughness of all the FePt films with the post-anneal temperature were observed. Moreover, partially separated grains were seen in the film on Si wafer, where the formation of Fe silicides during post-anneal is suspected, in which has enhanced the magnetic ordering.     

Effects of Cu underlayer on the growth and magnetic properties of FePt thin films on MgO (001) substrate

During ordering process of face centered tegragonal (fct) L1(0) phase of the FePt alloy, there exist three growth variants of axes (001) from original disordered fcc structured phase. When FePt film was directly deposited on the MgO (001) substrate, the variant perpendicular to the film plane grew, resulting in a low out-of-plane coercivity of 1.3 kOe. By using Cu underlayer, two variants lying in the film plane got same chance to grow, which caused an in-plane perpendicular alignment of the tetragonal axes of FePt L1(0) phases. The crystallographic relationship between Cu and FePt layers is Cu (100)<100>//fct FePt (100)<100>. A high in-plane coercivity of 4.6 kOe was obtained due to the high density of micro-defects (mcro-twins, anti-phase boundaries, etc.) in the film plane. This work demonstrated a way of selecting the growth variants of ordering process to adjust the magnetic properties of the ordered FePt thin films.