RIA: New high moment soft magnetic multilayers & their applications in sub-half micron track width magnetic recording

9409805王磁盘驱动器是计算机的主要大容量存储设备。为了满足图像处理、大规模并行计算和多媒体的存储需求，磁盘驱动器的面记录密度需要从目前的200兆比特/英寸2提高到10千兆比特/英寸2以上，大约提高两个数量级。为了实现这一目标，需要设计和制造高力矩、亚微米磁道宽度的磁头，以在高矫顽力磁盘上记录尺寸约为0.1 um x 0.5 um的数字比特，这是传统的Pemalloy磁头无法记录的。项目的目标和方法如下：1)在控制原位衬底温度的条件下，通过在Ar + N2 + NH3等离子体中反应溅射和Fe靶材在陶瓷衬底上生长巨矩a”相Fe16N2薄膜。将探讨生长参数和衬底对所获得薄膜的相、微观结构和磁性能的影响。2)利用该材料制备磁道宽度为0.5 um的磁头。电子束刻蚀和反应离子束刻蚀将用于制造亚微米磁性结构。3)利用磁力显微镜（MFM）和扫描电镜自旋分析（SEMPA）研究磁头的磁畴结构。录音表现将与工业协作进行评估。＊＊＊

9409805 Wang Magnetic disk drives are the dominant mass storage devices for computers. In order to meet the storage demand for image processing, massively parallel computing and multimedia, the areal recording densities of the disk drives need to be raised from currently 200 Megabits/inch2 to beyond 10 Gigabits/inch2, an increase of about two orders of magnitude. To reach this goal, a key technology for designing and fabricating high moment, submicron trackwidth, magnetic write heads are required to record digital bits with a size of about 0.1 um x 0.5 um on high coercivity magnetic disks which cannot be recorded with conventional Pemalloy magnetic heads. The objectives and methods of the project are as follows; 1) Grow giant moment a" phase Fe16N2 films on ceramic substrates by reactively sputtering and Fe target in Ar + N2 + NH3 plasma, with controlled in-situ substrate temperatures. The effects of growth parameters and substrates on the phases, microstructures, and magnetic properties of the films obtained will be explored. 2) Fabricate magnetic write heads with the new material, and with a trackwidth 0.5 um. Electron-beam lithography and reactive ion beam etching will be used to fabricate submicron magnetic structures. 3) Investigate magnetic domain structures of such heads with magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and scanning electron microscopy with spin analysis (SEMPA). Recording performance will be evaluated with industrial collaboration. ***