Microstructure and magnetic property of electroless-plated CoNiFeB soft underlayer

An electroless-plated CoFeNiB film as a soft underlayer in perpendicular magnetic recording is studied by magneto-optical Kerr effect microscope, magnetic force microscopy (MFM), and transmission electron microscopy. A stray field is evidently suppressed for the anisotropic CoFeNiB film, which is under an applied field during the plating process. The lines of magnetic flux show that the Ni seed layer have no intrinsic effect on the homogenous magnetic state of the CoFeNiB layer. The interaction between a MFM tip and the CoFeNiB layer is clearly observed by electron holography indicating the excellent soft magnetic properties required by the soft underlayer.