Control of microstructure in (001)-orientated FePt–SiO2 granular films.

Highly ordered L1₀ FePt–SiO₂ granular films with a (001)-preferred orientation were obtained by depositing atomic-scale [Fe/Pt/SiO₂(t_ox)] multilayers on glass substrates and subsequently annealing multilayers at the temperature of as low as 350 °C. The t_ox value plays an important role on both microstructure and magnetic properties. The average grain sizes of samples A, B, and C (t_ox=0.11,0.28,0.56) are 12.12, 15.46, and 5.14 nm, respectively, and the corresponding perpendicular coercivities are 6800, 5550, and 7700 Oe. Due to different microstructures, samples show distinct coercivity dependence on annealing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]