Development of high-performance magnetic thin film for high-density magnetic recording

This overview describes our recent study on fabrication processes of high-performance magnetic thin films for high-density magnetic recording. Particularly, it is emphasized that electrochemical processes play significant roles in fabricating the recording heads and media used for the high-density recording. Newly developed electrodeposition methods for fabricating CoNiFe and CoFe soft magnetic thin films with high-saturation magnetic flux density are shown, and the key points for obtaining them are highlighted. It is summarized that the effective seedlayers for the sputter-deposited [Co/Pd]_n multilayered films, which are promising candidates as magnetic recording media with strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for the high-density magnetic recording, have been developed. We have recently succeeded in developing the novel electroless deposition methods for the CoNiFe-based soft magnetic underlayers of double-layered perpendicular magnetic recording media and for the patterned medium consisting of CoNiP magnetic nano-dot arrays, which are briefly explained.