Origin of magnetic switching field distribution in bit patterned media based on pre-patterned substrates

This content may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This material originally appeared in Appl. Phys. Lett. 99, 062502 (2011) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3623488.Using a combination of synchrotron radiation based magnetic imaging and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy we reveal systematic correlations between the magnetic switching field and the internal nanoscale structure of individual islands in bit patterned media fabricated by Co/Pd-multilayer deposition onto pre-patterned substrates. We find that misaligned grains at the island periphery are a common feature independent of the island switching field, while irregular island shapes and misaligned grains specifically extending into the center of an island are systematically correlated with a reduced island reversal field