Microstructure and properties of Fe-N/Ti-N magnetic multilayers

In the search for a better write head to be used in high-density magnetic s torage systems, Fe-N/Ti-N magnetic multilayers with different thickness Fe- N layers and 2 nm thickness Ti-N layers were prepared by magnetron sputteri ng. The multilayer structures and magnetic properties were characterized wi th low-angle scattering, high-angle x-ray diffraction, atomic force microsc opy (AFM) and magnetometry. Microhardness and the reduced modulus of the mu ltilayer were measured by using a nanoindenter with a diamond tip in conjun ction with AFM. The result of low-angle x-ray scattering of the multilayer shows that it has a periodic structure with sharp, flat interfaces. The str ucture of an Fe-N/Ti-N periodic multilayer has better mechanical properties than a single-layered Fe-N film while retaining excellent soft magnetic pr operties. Among the samples studied, the Fe-N(5 nm)/Ti-N(2 nm) multilayer h as the best general properties. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.