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Alternative title: Application of Phase-Field Method in FePt Magnetic Recording Media Research

Description:

The rapid growth of data‑center workloads demands higher‑density, low‑energy magnetic storage. L10‑FePt, with its large magnetocrystalline anisotropy, is a leading material for heat‑assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), but achieving the target 4 TBin‑2 density requires precise control of nanogranular film microstructure. We employed a phase‑field (PF) framework to simulate the evolution of FePt‑C films deposited on MgO substrates under realistic sputtering conditions. The model treats the local volume fractions of vacuum, L10‑FePt, carbon, and MgO as field variables and incorporates chemical, gradient, and elastic strain energies, the latter arising from the ~9 % lattice mismatch between FePt and MgO. By solving the coupled PF and deposition equations, we reproduced the experimentally observed 4.5 nm‑thick FePt‑35 % C microstructure—periodic, rounded‑square islands—over a range of carbon contents. Simulations reveal that elastic strain energy drives vertical island growth while suppressing lateral coalescence, and that carbon shortens the vertical transport path, further inhibiting grain coarsening. These findings identify lattice mismatch‑induced strain and carbon grain‑boundary engineering as key levers for optimizing HAMR media, and demonstrate that PF modeling can accelerate process‑material design for next‑generation magnetic storage.

Rights:

• In Copyright
  

  ©公益社団法人 日本磁気学会 (The Magnetics Society of Japan)

Keyword: phase-field modeling, FePt‑C nanogranular film, L10 FePt, heat‑assisted magnetic recording, substrate lattice mismatch, sputtering deposition

Date published: 2026-04-01

Publisher: 公益社団法人　日本磁気学会

Journal:

• まぐね (ISSN: 18807208) vol. 21 issue. 2

Funding:

• JST JPMJCR22C3 (JST-CREST)
• MEXT JPMXP1122715503 (MEXT-Program)

Manuscript type: Author's version (Accepted manuscript)

MDR DOI:

First published URL: https://www.magnetics.jp/publication/mag_2026_21_02/

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Updated at: 2026-04-30 12:01:11 +0900

Published on MDR: 2026-05-01 10:24:34 +0900