Magnetic stack including crystallized segregant induced columnar magnetic recording layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9689065-B2
Application number	US-201414577641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2014
Priority date	Jan 3, 2014
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A stack includes a substrate, a magnetic recording layer having a columnar structure, and an interlayer disposed between the substrate and the magnetic recording layer. The columnar structure includes magnetic grains separated by a crystalline segregant or a combination of crystalline and amorphous segregants.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stack, comprising:
a substrate;
a magnetic recording layer having a columnar structure comprising magnetic grains separated by a crystalline segregant; and
an interlayer disposed between the substrate and the magnetic recording layer, wherein the interlayer is a TiN—X layer and X is a dopant comprising at least one of MgO, TiC, TiO, TiO 2 , ZrN, ZrC, ZrO, ZrO 2 , HfN, HfC, HfO, and HfO 2 .

2. The stack of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic grains comprise FePt.

3. The stack of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline segregant is at least one of MgO, TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , and TiC.

4. The stack of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline segregant is ZrO 2 .

5. The stack of claim 4 , wherein the magnetic recording layer comprises ZrO 2 in an amount between about 5 and about 50 vol. %.

6. The stack of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline segregant comprises at least 50% crystalline structure.

7. The stack of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic recording layer further comprises an amorphous segregant disposed between the magnetic grains and the crystalline segregant.

8. The stack of claim 7 , wherein the amorphous segregant is at least one of an oxide and a nitride.

9. The stack of claim 7 , wherein the amorphous segregant is at least one of C, SiO 2 , TiO 2 , WO 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , and BN.

10. A stack, comprising:
a substrate;
a magnetic recording layer having a columnar structure comprising magnetic grains separated by a crystalline segregant; and
an interlayer disposed between the substrate and the magnetic recording layer, wherein the interlayer is a MgO—Y layer and Y is a dopant comprising at least one of Ni, Ti, and Zr.

11. The stack of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the magnetic recording layer is between about 5 and about 30 nm.

12. The stack of claim 2 , wherein the FePt grains have a height/diameter aspect ratio of at least about 1.

13. The stack of claim 1 , further comprising a heatsink layer comprising an alloy including at least one of Ag, Au, Cu, Al, Cr, Mo, and W, wherein the heatsink layer is disposed between the interlayer and the substrate.

14. The stack of claim 1 , further comprising an underlayer comprising one or more of CrRu and MgO, wherein the underlayer is disposed between the interlayer and the substrate.

15. A stack, comprising:
a substrate;
a magnetic recording layer having a columnar structure, comprising magnetic grains separated from each other by a crystalline segregant and by an amorphous segregant, wherein the magnetic grains comprise FePt, the crystalline segregant comprises ZrO 2 , and the amorphous segregant comprises C; and
an interlayer disposed between the substrate and the magnetic recording layer.

16. The stack of claim 15 , wherein the magnetic layer comprises ZrO 2 in an amount between about 5 and about 50 vol. % and C in an amount of about 5-50 vol. %.

17. The stack of claim 15 , wherein the magnetic layer comprises ZrO 2 in an amount between about 20 and about 45 vol. % and C in an amount of about 5-20 vol. %.

18. The stack of claim 15 , wherein the magnetic grains comprise FePt having a height/diameter aspect ratio of at least 1.

19. A method, comprising:
forming an interlayer on a substrate, wherein the interlayer is a TiN—X layer and X is a dopant comprising at least one of MgO, TiC, TiO, TiO 2 , ZrN, ZrC, ZrO, ZrO 2 , HfN, HfC, HfO, and HfO 2 ; and
depositing a magnetic layer on the interlayer by sputtering a magnetic material and a segregant material, the sputtering forming columnar magnetic grains separated by a crystalline segregant.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the sputtering comprises co-sputtering FePt and ZrO 2 , targets.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the sputtering comprises sputtering a FePt—ZrO 2 composite target.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein depositing the magnetic layer further includes sputtering an amorphous material.

23. The method of claim 19 , wherein depositing the magnetic layer comprises heating the substrate to temperature of at least 400 C.

24. The stack of claim 10 , wherein the crystalline segregant is at least one of MgO, TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , and TiC.

25. The stack of claim 10 , wherein the magnetic recording layer further comprises an amorphous segregant disposed between the magnetic grains and the crystalline segregant.

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Chen Jingsheng
• Dong kaifeng
• Ju Ganping
• Peng Yingguo

Classifications

• C23C14/352

  using more than one target (C23C14/56 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/65

  characterised by its composition (G11B5/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/083

  of refractory metals or yttrium · CPC title

• C23C14/06 Primary

  characterised by the coating material ({C23C14/0021} , C23C14/04 take precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/0641

  Nitrides (C23C14/0617 takes precedence) · CPC title