Growth of CoCrTa(11(2)over-bar0)-oriented thin films on a D03 Mn3Si(002) underlayer

Mn3Si possesses a D0(3) structure, which is a bcc derivative structure with nearly the same atomic spacing as Cr and NiAl which have been commonly used for longitudinal magnetic recording underlayers. AG(30 nm)/CoCrTa(40 nm)/Mn3Si(x, x=100, 200, 400 nm)/Ag(75 nm) thin films were sputter deposited onto hydrofluoric acid (HF)-etched Si:(001) substrates at elevated temperature. Compared to the 100 and 200 nm thick Mn3Si samples, the XRD spectrum of the 400 nm thick Mn3Si sample shows a significant increase in the intensity of the Mn3Si(002) peak. This suggests that a high volume fraction of the D0(3) phase was formed. The CoCrTa(11 (2) over bar 0) peak intensity has been found to increase with Mn3Si thickness. As a result, the in-plane coercivity increases as the volume fraction of the D0(3) phase increases. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)88408-X].