CoPtCr-BASED BIT PATTERNED MAGNETIC DEVICE

Abstract

Provided herein is an apparatus, including a plurality of spaced apart perpendicular magnetic elements. Each of the magnetic elements includes a respective discrete magnetic domain and each of the magnetic elements includes a magnetic recording layer comprising a Co 1-x-y Pt x Cr y alloy material, where 0.05≦x≦0.35 and 0≦y≦0.15.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a plurality of spaced apart perpendicular magnetic elements above a surface of a substrate, wherein each of the magnetic elements comprises a respective discrete magnetic domain, and wherein each of the magnetic elements comprises a seed layer and a magnetic recording layer, wherein the magnetic recording layer comprises a Co 1-x-y Pt x Cr y  alloy material, where 0.05≦x≦0.35 and 0≦y≦0.15.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the Co 1-x-y Pt x Cr y  alloy material has a first order magnetic anisotropy constant K 1  up to approximately 2×10 7  erg/cm 3 , a saturation magnetization M s , up to approximately 1200 emu/cm 3 , and an anisotropy field H k =2K 1 /M s  up to approximately 35 kOe. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the perpendicular magnetic recording layer has a hexagonal (0001) crystal structure with c-axis perpendicular to a surface thereof and an X-Ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curve with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ˜5° or less. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the seed layer is lattice matched to and configured to promote growth of the perpendicular magnetic recording layer with a hexagonal (0001) crystal structure with c-axis perpendicular to a surface thereof and an XRD rocking curve with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ˜5° or less. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the seed layer is from approximately 5 to approximately 10 nm thick. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the seed layer is formed of elemental ruthenium (Ru). 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein 0.23≦x≦0.33, y=0, and the Co 1-x-y Pt x Cr y  alloy material is a Co 1-x-y Pt x  alloy material with a high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy K of at least approximately 1.1×10 7  erg/cm 3 . 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein x=0.25 and the Co 1-x-y Pt x  alloy material is Co 3 Pt. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the Co 1-x-y Pt x Cr y  alloy material has a high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy K of at least approximately 3×10 6  erg/cm 3 . 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the perpendicular magnetic recording layer is from approximately 5 to approximately 20 nm thick. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is ferromagnetic and comprises a magnetically soft material. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spaced apart perpendicular magnetic elements are arranged in a patterned array at a density in the range from approximately 250 Gbit/in 2  to approximately 10 Tbit/in 2 , and each of the magnetic elements has a shape selected from the group consisting of cylindrically shaped and of equal height, cubic shaped, spherically shaped, and shaped as an elongated parallelepiped. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a protective overcoat layer over the perpendicular magnetic recording layer; and the apparatus further comprises:
 a non-magnetic material filling spaces between neighboring magnetic elements.   
     
     
         14 . An apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of spaced apart perpendicular magnetic elements, wherein each of the magnetic elements comprises a respective discrete magnetic domain, and wherein each of the magnetic elements comprises a magnetic recording layer comprising a Co 1-x-y Pt x Cr y  alloy material, where 0.05≦x≦0.35 and 0≦y≦0.15.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the magnetic elements comprises a stack of film layers, wherein the stack comprises a respective magnetic recording layer and a seed layer. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of magnetic elements are above a substrate. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein the substrate is ferromagnetic and comprises a magnetically soft material. 
     
     
         18 . An apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of spaced apart perpendicular magnetic elements above a surface of a substrate, wherein each of the magnetic elements comprises a respective discrete magnetic domain, and wherein each of the magnetic elements comprises a seed layer and a magnetic recording layer, wherein the magnetic recording layer comprises a Co 1-x-y Pt x Cr y  alloy material, where 0.05≦x≦0.35 and 0≦y≦0.15, and wherein the substrate is ferromagnetic and comprises a magnetically soft material.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the seed layer is above a soft under layer (SUL), and wherein the SUL is above the substrate. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the seed layer is formed of elemental ruthenium (Ru).