Disk substrate deposition techniques for monodisperse chemically synthesized FePt nanoparticle media

Self-assembled FePt nanoparticles hold promise for future ultrahigh-density magnetic recording media because of their high anisotropy and capability to be formed into small and uniform grains. By using a special spin coater, we were able to form a dense array of FePt particles across the entire surface of a 2.5 in. disk substrate. Our method can control the number of layers of FePt nanoparticles. The media deposited with FePt nanoparticles by the spin coater was annealed in a vacuum. We measured read-write properties of the FePt nanoparticle media on a spin stand, and succeeded in detecting a signal of 290 kfci. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.