The control and characterization of the crystallographic texture of longitudinal thin film recording media

In this overview we summarize our methods of changing important microstructural features such as grain size and crystallographic texture, in magnetic thin films for longitudinal recording. The methods we have used to better control the grain size and texture of the magnetic films include the use of different underlayers (NiAl and FeAl), the use of seed layers underneath the underlayers and the use of intermediate layers between the underlayer and the magnetic thin film. Examples of the structure and magnetic properties of such films will be presented and discussed. We also present our newly developed method of quantitatively characterizing the crystallographic textures of the thin films used in the multilayered structures. Our method relies on the examination of the intensity weighted reciprocal lattice by means of tilted electron beam diffraction patterns. These patterns contain arcs, the number and location of which can be correlated with specific thin film textures. We will present an overview of the technique from the point of view of the reciprocal lattice and include an example which shows how the crystallographic texture of thin films can be examined and characterized.