Magnetic and crystallographic properties of CoCrPt thin films formed on Cr-Ti single crystalline underlayers

By using an epitaxial growth technique, Co73Cr15Pt12(<11(2)over bar 0>) bi-crystalline thin films formed on Cr-Ti-x(001)[x = 0-15 at.%] single-crystalline underlayers were prepared to investigate the relationship between the magnetic properties and the lattice distortion in the magnetic layer. X-ray diffraction measurement shows that the; best lattice matching between the c axis of the CoCrPt and the [110] direction of the Cr-Ti underlayer is realized and the CoCrPt layer shows an ideal symmetrical hcp. structure when the Ti concentration is 10 at.%, where the maximum magneto-crystalline anisotropy energy and coercivity values are observed. Distortion in the hcp. CoCrPt magnetic crystal grains decreases the uniaxial magneto-crystalline anisotropy energy, thus lowering the attainable medium coercivity. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.