title: Analytical TEM examinations of CoPt-TiO2 perpendicular magnetic recording media.
abstract: For this analytical TEM study, nonmagnetic oxygen-rich boundaries were introduced into Co-Pt-alloy perpendicular recording media by cosputtering Co and Pt with TiO2. Increasing the TiO2 content resulted in changes to the microstructure and elemental distribution within grains and boundaries in these films. EFTEM imaging was used to generate composition maps spanning many tens of grains, thereby giving an overall depiction of the changes in elemental distribution occurring with increasing TiO2 content. Comparing EFTEM with spectrum-imaging maps created by high-resolution STEM with EDXS and EELS enabled both corroboration of EFTEM results and quantification of the chemical composition within individual grain boundary areas. The difficulty of interpreting data from EDXS for these extremely thin films is discussed. Increasing the TiO2 content of the media was found to create more uniformly wide Ti- and O-rich grain boundaries as well as Ti- and O-rich regions within grains.
authors: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2205, USA. jrisner@stanfordalumni.org
authors: Juliet D
authors: JD
authors: Risner
authors: Thomas P
authors: TP
authors: Nolan
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Bentley
authors: Erol
authors: E
authors: Girt
authors: Samuel D
authors: SD
authors: Harkness
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Sinclair