The degradation of TbFeCo magneto-optic media due to reaction with oxide-containing dielectric materials and substrates

The interfacial stability of TbFeCo with oxide-containing dielectric materials and substrates is studied, in order to understand the degradation kinetics and thermal activation energy associated with interfacial oxidation of the rare-earth transition film. Auger elemental depth profiles show that interfacial oxidation is responsible for the degradation of Kerr rotation. The glass and oxide-containing dielectric film are the internal source of oxygen. An activation energy of 1.72 eV is obtained for the degradation due to this mechanism.