Evolution of microstructure, residual stress, and texture in FePt films during rapid thermal annealing

Dependences of the evolution of microstructure, in-plane tensile stress, and crystallographic orientation on rapid thermal annealing in the single-layered FePt films were investigated. By manipulating annealing temperature (450-800 degrees C), a texture transition from (111) to nearly perfect (001) was induced by a measured huge tensile stress of 2.4 GPa. Based on the microstructural observation and in-plane residual stress measurement, the tensile stress originated from the annihilation of grain boundaries and probably the unexpected surface oxidation of the L1(0) FePt films during annealing. Conversely, L1(0) ordering caused the relaxation of the accumulated tensile stress. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.