Reduction of ordering temperature of an FePt-ordered alloy by addition of Cu

We have found that the addition of Cu to an FePt alloy film is an effective approach for reducing the ordering temperature of FePt. The coercivity of the FePtCu film is around 5 kOe after annealing at 300 degreesC, whereas that of FePt shows several hundred Oe. In the FePtCu film annealed at 700 degreesC, the coercivity is almost the same as for the FePt films. Therefore, the FePtCu film displays a hard-magnetic property similar to that of the FePt film. The results of x-ray diffraction indicate that a ternary FePtCu alloy is formed. Thus, the formation of the ternary FePtCu alloy is considered to play an important role in reducing the ordering temperature. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.