Amorphous Cr-Ti Texture-inducing Layer Underlying (002) Textured bcc-Cr alloy Seed Layer for FePt-C Based Heat-assisted Magnetic Recording Media

$Cr_100-xTi_x$ amorphous texture-inducing layers (TIL) were investigated to realize highly (002) oriented $L1_0$ FePt-C granular films through hetero-epitaxial growth on the (002) textured bcc-$Cr₈₀Mn₂₀$ seed layer (bcc-SL). As-deposited TILs showed the amorphous phase in Ti content of $30{\leq}x(at%){\leq}75$. Particularly, films with $40{\leq}x{\leq}60$ kept the amorphous phase against the heat treatment over $600^\circC$. It was found that preference of the crystallographic texture for bcc-SLs is directly affected by the structural phase of TILs. (002) crystallographic texture was realized in bcc-SLs deposited on the amorphous TILs ($40{\leq}x{\leq}70$), whereas (110) texture was formed in bcc-SLs overlying on crystalline TILs (x < 30 and x > 70). Correlation between the angular distribution of (002) crystal orientation of bcc-SL evaluated by full width at half maximum of (002) diffraction (FWHM) and a grain diameter of bcc-SL indicated that while the development of the lateral growth for bcc-SL grain reduces FWHM, crystallization of amorphous TILs hinders FWHM. $L1_0$ FePt-C granular films were fabricated under the substrate heating process over $600^\circC$ with having different FWHM of bcc-SL. Hysteresis loops showed that squareness ($M_r/M_s$) of the films increased from 0.87 to 0.95 when FWHM of bcc-SL decreased from $13.7^\circ$ to $3.8^\circ$. It is suggested that the reduction of (002) FWHM affects to the overlying MgO film as well as FePt-C granular film by means of the hetero-epitaxial growth.