Role of reversal incoherency in reducing switching field and switching field distribution of exchange coupled composite bit patterned media

Model exchange coupled composite media, namely [Co/Pd]5/Pd(t)/[Co/Ni]3/Co multilayers, deposited onto prepatterned substrates have been investigated for potential use in bit patterned recording. Optimizing the thickness of the Pd interlayer allows decreasing the switching field (HC) and switching field distribution (σSFD) while maintaining thermal stability. The dependence of the remanent coercivity on the external field angle indicates that the gain in HC and σSFD originates from the incoherent magnetization reversal introduced by slightly decoupling the hard and soft multilayer stacks. This tendency is confirmed by further reductions in HC and σSFD, when inserting another Pd interlayer within the hard [Co/Pd]5 stack.