Microstructure study of CoCrPt/Ti/NiAl perpendicular media

Perpendicular medium with an average grain size of 8.2nm with 20nm thickness has been produced by using a-CoCrPt/Ti/NiAl tri-layer structure. The signal-to-noise ratio improves with the addition of a NiAl seed layer. From the TEM image analysis, the introduction of the NiAl seed layer may enhance the separation between the CoCrPt grains. The ultra-small grain size will improve the performance of perpendicular media for future high-density recording applications. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.