FePt L10 ordering and grain growth using millisecond pulse laser processing

Abstract The structural and magnetic properties of ∼12 nm thick FePt thin films grown on Si substrates annealed using a 1064 nm wavelength laser with a 10 ms pulse have been examined. The A 1 to L 1 0 ordering phase transformation was confirmed by electron and X-ray diffraction. An order parameter near 50% and a maximum coercivity of 12 kOe were obtained with laser energy densities of 25–32 J/cm 2 . Grain growth, quantified by dark field transmission electron microscopy, occurred during chemical ordering at the laser pulse widths studied.