Information storage materials: nanoscale characterisation by three-dimensional atom probe analysis

The development of nanoscale magnetic materials for applications in information storage systems relies heavily on the ability to engineer the properties of the layered structures from which such materials are fabricated. These properties are strongly dependent on the nature of the interfaces between the individual nanoscale magnetic layers, so knowledge of the interface chemistry is crucial. In this paper, we discuss the application of three-dimensional atom probe analysis to the characterisation of layered magnetic materials, including details of specimen preparation techniques required for this type of analysis. Recent results are presented on the characterisation of interfaces in Co/Cu or CoFe/Cu multilayers, which form part of the read sensor in magnetic recording heads, and Co/Pd multilayers, which are being considered for use as perpendicular recording media.