Strong stripe domains in 80Co 20Ni obliquely deposited films

Obliquely deposited cobalt-nickel films were studied as continuous magnetic media. The columns are sufficiently in contact to produce effectively a continuous magnetic layer. For film thicknesses below about 800 AA, relatively wide in-plane domains are observed which may give rise to unfavorable zigzag walls. Beyond a critical thickness of about 800 AA, a regular, globally nonmagnetic strong stripe-domain pattern takes over, which should be a favourable information carrier. The domain width for these patterns increases with the film thickness. Films just beyond the critical thickness are therefore expected to be the best choice from the standpoint of magnetic microstructure. In these films a modulation of the strong stripe pattern should allow a continuous magnetization transition in longitudinal recording as in particulate media, avoiding the irregular zigzag transition characteristic of conventional thin-film media.