Preparation of (0Â 0Â 1) oriented L10 phase FePt thin films by alternate sputtering

(0 0 1) oriented FePt films were prepared by depositing a (Pt/Fe)n multilayer structure at high substrate temperature and using subsequent annealing. The orientation degree has a close connection with the initial layer materials, composition of the films, single layer thickness, total film thickness and substrate temperature. Post annealing at 600 °C enhances the (0 0 l) peak intensities of the films and weakens the (1 1 1) peak intensities further. The formation of (0 0 1) orientation in Pt/Fe multilayer films can be interpreted qualitatively by the difference of the orientation of the initial Fe layer at different deposition condition and a grain growth model during annealing.