Magnetic and structural properties of CoCrPt-SiO2-based graded media prepared by ion implantation

The magnetic and structural properties of graded media fabricated by ion implantation of nitrogen (14N(+)), oxygen (16O(+)), and cobalt (59Co(+)) ions in the CoCrPt-SiO2 recording layer of prototype disk have been studied. Ion implantation of the species was controlled at the atomic scale to fabricate the graded media. Magnetometric measurements indicated that the coercivity was reduced with an increasing dose of the implanted species. The observation of an increase in magnetic domain size has been attributed to the reduction in magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy, which is desirable for achieving graded media. The study indicates that the magnetic properties can be tailored by the appropriate selection of the implantation dose and species. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3653823]