Modeling of misfit induced defects in Co/Cr recording media

A 2D model to study the effect of crystal orientation on interfacial structural misfit and Co grain defect density for hcp Co/bcc Cr thin film system has been introduced. The magnitude of misfit depends strongly on the Co/Cr orientation, their respective lattice parameters, the grain size and to a lesser extend, the relative lattice orientation across the interface. However, the modeling results showed that by introducing lattice defects such as fcc stacking faults and misfit dislocations in the Co layer, one can greatly reduce this misfit and relax the interface