Particulate structure of L10 ordered ultrathin FePt films for perpendicular recording

We report the investigation of microstructure and magnetic properties of ultrathin FePt (1–10nm) films grown on oxidized Si substrates with a 10nm MgO(100) intermediate layer. The isolated FePt particles with high degree of L10 ordering and large magnetocrystalline anisotropy could be fabricated with a thickness of less than 5nm. Perpendicular coercivity of isolated FePt particles is controllable between 15 and 25kOe. These results are promising and highly desirable for magnetic recording applications.