Magnetic properties of (Pr0.17Co0.83)69C31 nanocomposite films prepared by pulsed filtered vacuum arc deposition

Nanocomposite (Pr0.17Co0.83)(69)C-31 thin films were prepared by pulsed filtered vacuum arc deposition. Rapid thermal annealing was performed at various temperatures in argon. The variations of the structure and magnetic properties of these films with various annealing temperatures were studied systematically. The sample annealed at 700 degreesC for 1 min shows a large coercivity of 5.2 kOe and a small grain size of 7.8 nm. The overall small negative DeltaM of this film indicates that virtually all the Pr0.17Co0.83 grains are isolated single domain particles with only weak dipolar interactions among them. These results indicate that (Pr0.17Co0.83)(69)C-31 nanocomposite thin films would be a promising candidate for high-density magnetic recording medium applications. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.