Thermal stability of CoCr films for perpendicular recording media

The thermal stability of the magnetic properties of CoCr thin films for perpendicular recording media is analyzed with measurement of the dependence of the coercivity on the applied field sweep rate, in films with different thickness, Cr content, and presence or absence of a soft FeNi underlayer, The results are discussed on the basis of the evolution of the magnetization reversal mode, owing to the different microscopic structure and magnetic order of the films, which indicates weaker thermal stability of the magnetic properties in films with the smallest thickness, lowest Cr content, and the presence of the FeNi underlayer.