A comparison of the magnetic and recording properties of sputtered ternary alloys for high density applications

DC magnetron-sputtered ternary alloys of CoCrTa, CoNiCr, CoCrW and CoNiW were evaluated relative to magnetic characteristics and recording performance. These alloys exhibit high squareness (Mr/Ms) and high coercive force suitable for high-performance magnetic recording applications. The coercive force is dependent on the thickness of the sputtered Cr substrate, as well as the magnetic thickness. The coercive force may be attributed to the anisotropy field, which is a function of the anisotropy energy and saturation magnetization.