Advanced Materials for Next-Generation Data Storage: A Seminar on HAMR Technology

On May 5, 2026, the SPINTEC laboratory will host Dr. Yukiko Takahashi from Japan's National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) for a seminar on material innovations for heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). The event will address the critical materials challenges in pushing data storage densities beyond current limits.

The HAMR Challenge and Materials Bottleneck

The exponential growth of IoT and digital infrastructure is driving relentless demand for higher storage areal densities in data centers. HAMR technology, which uses a laser to momentarily heat the recording medium, relies on L1₀-ordered FePt alloys. These materials possess magnetic anisotropy an order of magnitude greater than conventional CoCrPt, making them suitable for ultrahigh-density recording. However, achieving target densities beyond 4 Tbit/in² requires granular films with exceptionally small grain sizes (~4.3 nm) and narrow inter-grain spacing (~1 nm). Conventional material systems like FePt-C and FePt-BN have so far failed to simultaneously meet the necessary microstructural and magnetic property criteria.

A Data-Driven Approach to Materials Design

To break this impasse, Dr. Takahashi's team employed a data-driven materials design framework using the NIMS Research Data Express (RDE) platform. By aggregating experimental datasets and applying machine learning to the FePt-C and FePt-BN systems, they predicted optimal sputtering conditions. This led to the development of FePt-BN-C granular films with grain sizes below 6 nm and coercivities as high as 3.7 Tesla. Iterative prediction cycles further refined the microstructure, achieving grains of 4.9 nm. While significant, these results also highlighted the intrinsic difficulty of satisfying all requirements for 4 Tbit/in² recording within this specific materials family alone.

Exploring 3D Magnetic Recording as an Alternative Pathway

Beyond optimizing two-dimensional granular media, the research explores three-dimensional magnetic recording as a complementary route to higher areal density. As a proof of concept, the team fabricated FePt-C/Ru-C/FePt-C trilayers. These structures demonstrated successful epitaxial stacking and exhibited distinct magnetic switching behaviors in the upper and lower FePt layers, attributed to their different chemical ordering states. The seminar will discuss ongoing strategies to enhance the structural and magnetic quality of the upper layer in such 3D architectures.

Speaker Profile

Dr. Yukiko Takahashi earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Tohoku University in 2001. A pioneer in developing FePt-C granular media for HAMR, her work also includes demonstrations of all-optical switching (AOS) and 3D-HAMR concepts. She has authored over 270 research papers and maintains strong collaborative ties with the hard disk drive industry. Currently, she serves as Director of the NIMS Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronic Materials and holds concurrent professorships at the University of Tsukuba and Tohoku University.

Logistical Details

The seminar, titled "Material development for HAMR and its prospects," begins at 09:00 on May 5, 2026. It will be held in person at the IRIG/SPINTEC auditorium (445 CEA Building 10.05) in Grenoble. Note that physical access to the CEA site requires prior entry authorization, which must be requested by April 2, 2026, via admin.spintec@cea.fr. The event will also be accessible via video conference on Zoom (Meeting ID: 987 6986 7024; Passcode: 025918).

On Tuesday, May 5th 2026, we have the pleasure to welcome in SPINTEC Yukiko Takahashi from NIMS, Japan. She will give us a seminar at 09:00 entitled : Material development for HAMR and its prospects

Place : IRIG/SPINTEC, auditorium 445 CEA Building 10.05 (presential access to the conference room at CEA in Grenoble requires an entry authorization. Request it before April 2th at admin.spintec@cea.fr)

video conference : https://univ-grenoble-alpes-fr.zoom.us/j/98769867024?pwd=dXNnT3RMeThjYStybGVQSUN0TVdJdz09

Meeting ID: 987 6986 7024

Passcode: 025918

Abstract : With the rapid expansion of IoT and digital transformation, data centers demand ever-higher storage densities. Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) employs L1₀-FePt, whose magnetic anisotropy is an order of magnitude larger than that of conventional CoCrPt, enabling ultrahigh-density recording. Achieving areal densities beyond 4 Tbit/in² requires granular films with grain sizes ~4.3 nm and narrow inter-grain pitch with ~1 nm [1]. However, conventional segregant systems such as FePt-C and FePt-BN have not yet simultaneously satisfied the required microstructural and magnetic criteria.

To overcome this limitation, we introduced a data- driven materials design framework using the NIMS Research Data Express (RDE) platform. By collecting experimental datasets and applying machine learning to FePt-C and FePt-BN systems, we predicted sputtering conditions that led to FePt-BN-C granular films with sub-6 nm grain sizes and coercivities up to 3.7 T. Although iterative prediction cycles improved the microstructure to 4.9 nm grains, the results also clarified the intrinsic difficulty of meeting all 4 Tbit/in² requirements within this materials system alone.

Beyond materials optimization, three-dimensional magnetic recording offers an additional pathway toward higher areal density. As a proof of concept, FePt-C/Ru-C/FePt-C trilayers were fabricated, demonstrating epitaxial stacking and distinct magnetic switching behaviors arising from different ordering states in the upper and lower FePt layers [2]. Strategies to improve the structural and magnetic quality of the upper layer will be discussed.

[1] D. Weller et al., IEEE Trans. Magn. 50, 3100108 (2014).

[2] P. Tozman et al.,Acta Mater. 271, 119869 (2024).

Biography : Dr. Yukiko Takahashi received her Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from Tohoku University in 2001 and joined National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS). Her pioneering research is the development of FePt-C granular recording media for HAMR, demonstration of AOS and 3D-HAMR using FePt granular media. In addition to this, she actively works on the development of new permanent magnetic materials.

She has published more than 270 research papers and has strong research connections with HDD industries.

Currently, she is the director of Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronic Materials of NIMS and holds a concurrent professorship at the University of Tsukuba and Tohoku University.

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