Preparation of Electroless-piated Thin Films for Functional Thin Film Materials

The preparation of high functional thin films by an electroless-piated method were studied on the two items of thermally-stable thin film resistors and perpendicular magnetic recording media. In the research on the thermally-stable thin film resistors, the nickel molybdenum alloy film, developed for the thin film having low TCR and high thermal stability was investigated by the structural analysis with a comparison of an usual electroless-piated NiP film. Very fine crystal structure was formed at as-plated conditions and it makes the film highly thermally-stable. In the research on the perpendicular magnetic recording media, the perpendicular anisotropic thin film, realized by the cobalt alloy plated films showed the thickness dependence of perpendicular coercivity, H_c(⊥). It is a very important factor to control the recording characteristics. The cobalt alloy recording media with the under layer of various electroless-piated films were evaluated by a ring-type head. The media with quasi-softmagnetic underlayer showed so-called double layer effect and the NiWP underlayer enhanced crystallinity of cobalt alloy. When using NiWP-plated underlayer, having the both effects gave the very high recording density. The potential of the double layer medium was also discussed using a ring-type head.