Title :
Dependence of thermomagnetic mark size on applied STM voltage in Co-Pt multilayers
Author :
Zhang, Li ; Bain, James A. ; Zhu, Jian-Gang
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA, USA
fDate :
9/1/2002 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A method of heat-assisted magnetic recording potentially suitable for proposed probe-based storage systems is characterized. In this paper, a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is used as the heating source. Pulse voltages of 1-8 V with duration of 500 ns were applied to a Co-Pt multilayered film, while the STM tip was held at a position set by a steady-state bias voltage of 20 mV and a tunneling current of 2 nA. Our results show that thermally recorded magnetic marks are formed with a nearly uniform mark size of 220 nm when the pulse voltages are between 2 and 8 V. This is very close to the theoretical minimum domain size in these films. For pulse voltages below the threshold of 2 V, no marks are formed.
Keywords :
cobalt alloys; magnetic multilayers; perpendicular magnetic recording; platinum alloys; scanning tunnelling microscopy; thermomagnetic recording; 1 to 8 V; 2 nA; 20 mV; 220 nm; 500 ns; Co-Pt; Co-Pt multilayers; STM voltage; cylindrical magnetic domains; heat-assisted magnetic recording; high-density magnetic recording; minimum domain size; multilayered film; probe-based storage systems; pulse voltages; scanning tunneling microscope; steady-state bias voltage; thermally recorded magnetic marks; thermomagnetic mark size; thermomagnetic writing process; tunneling current; Heat-assisted magnetic recording; Heating; Magnetic domains; Magnetic films; Magnetic multilayers; Microscopy; Nonhomogeneous media; Steady-state; Tunneling; Voltage;
Journal_Title :
Magnetics, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TMAG.2002.801781
