A Brief Review of High-Coercivity Thin Films for Digital Magnetic Recording

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Abstract
Three methods have been used to prepare thin films of the common ferromagnetic elements and their alloys having permanent magnet properties. The methods are (1) electrodeposition, (2) autocatalytic deposition, and (3) vacuum deposition. The effect of the deposition conditions on the magnetic properties is discussed briefly for each method. It is possible to prepare thin (∼1000 Å) films with coercivities 100<Hc<1500 Oe, in which the saturation magnetization is fairly close to that of the bulk material and whose values of remanent/saturation intensity approach 1·0. The magnetic properties of the films prepared by methods (1) and (2) are isotropic and those prepared by method (3) are usually uniaxial in the film plane. Although they are highly (and specularly) reflecting and are electrically continuous, the magnetic structure of the films appears to be basically that of an assembly of strongly interacting single domain particles. The application of these films is in high‐density digital magnetic recording; because of their high coercivity and thinness they give output pulses which are narrow and resolvable at densities considerably greater than those possible with conventional oxide recording surfaces.

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