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Updated: May 30, 2026

Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis of grain structure in perpendicular magnetic recording media
Faraz Hossein-Babaei1, Robert Sinclair, Robert A Sinclair
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States. farazhb@stanford.edu
Abstract:
The key component of a hard disk medium is a Co-based magnetic layer (ML) grown on a Ru seed layer. The ML nanostructure, composed of less than 10 nm grains, is believed to be controlled by this seed layer. We successfully used scanning transmission electron microscopy energy dispersive spectrometry simultaneous composition-based imaging and Moiré pattern analysis for determining the mutual structural and orientation relationship between the two layers revealing a grain-to-grain agreement. The method presented here can be utilized for observing structural correlations between consecutive polycrystalline thin film layers in general.
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