Toward the direct deposition of L1 FePt nanoparticles

In this paper we report a technique that can directly fabricate L10 phase FePt nanoparticles. FePt nanoparticles were generated through gas-phase aggregation using a magnetron-sputtering-based nanocluster source. Following the source chamber, an online halogen-lamp heater was used for the L10 phase formation during the particles’ flight in vacuum. Transmission electron microscopy and vibrating-sample magnetometer data verified the successful fabrication of the L10 phase FePt nanoparticles. The coercivity value at 300K is 1100Oe for the nanoparticles with online heating. Neon carrier gas was applied to manipulate FePt nanoparticle size and to enhance particle size uniformity. The size dependence of nanoparticle ordering was investigated.