Fabrication of highly L1-ordered FePt thin films by low-temperature rapid thermal annealing

Highly L10-ordered FePt thin films with a strong (001) texture were successfully fabricated on amorphous substrates simply by co-sputtering and rapid thermal annealing at a low temperature of 400 °C. The morphology of FePt thin films depended strongly on the heating rate, changing from a continuous structure with an atomically flat surface to an island-like structure. The change of the morphology resulted in a drastic increase of coercivity, indicating that the magnetization process could be controlled by the heating condition. This fabrication method of ordered FePt thin films is favorable in view of the compatibility for a practical device fabrication process.