Granular Structure and Magnetic Properties of FePt/C Films

FePt/C mutilayer films were successfully prepared by using RF and DC magnetron sputtering system. FePt nanoparticles embedded in a C matrix were formed by consequently annealing. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show the degree of atomic ordering of the L10 structure increases with higher temperature annealing. Room temperature magnetic measurements reveal that in-plane coercivity HC, and squareness Mr/MS depend on the thickness of carbon layer. Relatively High HC (3245.1Oe) and squareness (0.67) were obtained when the thickness of C layer is 2.0 nm. The carbon layer not only isolates the FePt grain, but also suppresses the growth of fct FePt grains. When the thickness of carbon layer is 2.0 nm, the FePt grain size decreases down to ~20 nm measured by Scan Probe Microscope (SPM). Interactions between particles can be tuned to near zero when we select the proper thickness of C layer.