EFFECTS OF CRNIN PRE-LAYER ON MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES AND MEDIUM NOISE OFCOCRTA LONGITUDINAL MEDIA

The effects of the CrNiN pre-layer between the underlayer of Cr and th e NiP/Al substrate on the microstructure and the micromagnetics of CoC rTa/Cr films were investigated. The CrNiN pre-layer with an amorphous- like phase enhanced H-c of CoCrTa/Cr films, especially for the media w ith Cr54Ni36N10 pre-layer. Measurements of the magnetic anisotropy fie ld and SM indicated that the increase in coercivity is mainly due to a large increase of the anisotropy field as well as an induced magnetos tatic coupling and a decrease of the intergranular magnetic coupling i n CoCrTa/Cr films. The MFM revealed that the lower noise media with th e Cr52Ni34N14 pre-layer have finer magnetic clusters than the higher n oise media, which contain the Cr54Ni36N10 pre-layer. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.