Phase-Transition Induced Magnetic Domain Evolution and Magnetization Dynamics in FePt/FeRh Bilayers for Advanced Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that FePt/FeRh bilayers exhibit a significant reduction in coercivity near the FeRh phase transition, enabling efficient magnetization switching for heat-assisted magnetic recording.

Contribution

The paper introduces FePt/FeRh bilayers as a novel approach to reduce coercivity and improve switching efficiency in HAMR media through phase transition induced domain dynamics.

Findings

40% reduction in coercivity from 300 K to 400 K in bilayers

30% reduction in domain size during phase transition

Minor change (0.4 T) in effective anisotropy field

Abstract

Achieving ultrahigh recording densities with low power consumption is a central challenge for next generation heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), as conventional L10 FePt media require intense laser heating due to their high coercivity (Hc) and high Curie temperature (700 K). Here, we address this issue using FePt/FeRh bilayers, where the antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition of FeRh near 350 K generates strong interfacial exchange coupling that assists magnetization switching in the FePt layer. Magnetometry measurements reveal a 40% reduction in Hc from 300 K to 400 K in the bilayer, compared to only 8% in single layer FePt. Temperature dependent MFM directly captures phase transition induced domain evolution, showing a 30% reduction in domain size and enhanced phase contrast. TR-MOKE measurements reveal only a minor (0.4 T) modification of the effective anisotropy field during phase transition, confirming that the intrinsic anisotropy of FePt remains largely preserved. These results demonstrate that the reduction in Hc in FePt/FeRh bilayers is primarily governed by phase transition induced domain wall mobility coupled with interfacial magnetic interactions, rather than by intrinsic anisotropy softening. This mechanism provides a pathway toward efficient magnetization switching under reduced thermal load, making FePt/FeRh heterostructures promising candidates for advanced HAMR media.