TEM to Support Magnetic Media Development in YR2000

TEM provides fast and statistical support for magnetic recording media development. Turn-around time including sample preparation, data collection and computer analysis is reduced to ∼3 hours. Rapid, systematic TEM analysis is shown to accurately measure crystallographic Orientation Ratio (OR) on mechanically textured media by diffraction analysis; elucidate grain separation by Weak Beam Dark Field Imaging; and determine the crystallographic relationship between cubic-NiAl seed layers and hexagonal cobalt-alloy (Co) layers. Novel evidence for reduction of the number of preferred orientations in sequentially grown epitaxial films is presented, which explains the “2-&-1/4-D isotropic” growth orientation and the high magnetic squareness of Co media grown on nearly randomly oriented “3D-isotropic” NiAl underlayers.