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A near field transducer (NFT) is a key photonics component in heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) for the localized heating of the magnetic medium. In this work, we present a novel NFT design through capacitive coupling. In our design, tapered metal bars separated by thin dielectric materials with gap distance G are used to create the plasmonic resonance and focus the electromagnetic field. The design is motivated by the intention to improve thermal stability, which can be achieved through segmentation using thermally stable dielectric material between the plasmonic metal bars. Using COMSOL Multiphysics software, the performance of this capacitive-coupled NFT is systematically modeled. It is shown that the electromagnetic field could gradually be focused through the tapering towards the air bearing surface (ABS). In addition, the focusing effect could be enhanced with a smaller NFT peg size at the resonant wavelength. The material selection for the NFT tip material will be discussed to further address the thermal stability of the device. In conclusion, this capacitive-coupled NFT with dielectric separation gaps and tapering yields an enhanced |E| field intensity at the tip with the potential for an enhanced material thermal stability. Such a design can also exhibit applications in other energy delivery systems as well as plasmonic waveguides and sensors.

Heat transfer in nanocomposite materials has attracted great interest for various applications. Multilayer structures provide an important platform to study interfacial thermal transport and to engineer materials with ultralow thermal conductivity. Here we report on the fabrication and thermal characterization of [h-BN/$L1_0$-FePt]xN multilayers, where hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets (2.5 nm thick) and $L1_0$-FePt layers (6.5 nm thick) alternate periodically. Differential three-omega($3\omega$) measurements reveal an ultralow effective thermal conductivity of $ 0.60 \pm 0.05 W \cdot m^{-1}K^{-1}$ across the multilayer films, and a low thermal boundary conductance (TBC) of $ 67.9 \pm 6.6 MW \cdot m^{-2}K^{-1}$ for the [FePt/h-BN(2.5nm)/FePt] interface at room temperature. We attribute the ultralow thermal conductivity to the weak van der Waals bonding at h-BN/FePt interfaces, which dominates the thermal resistance of the multilayer structure. These findings provide insights into the thermal transport in 2D-material/metal multilayer nanostructures and suggest the [h-BN/FePt] superlattice as a promising material for nanoscale thermal barrier coating. Furthermore, the obtained TBC lays the foundation for analyzing heat transfer in FePt-(h-BN) nanogranular films, a promising magnetic recording media which can potentially provide high thermal gradient for heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). This work advances the understanding of thermal transport in 2D-material/metal nanocomposites and demonstrates interface engineering as an effective approach to achieve materials with ultralow thermal conductivity., Comment: 22 page, 5 figures

Granular $\text{L}1_0$-FePt thin films with small columnar grains are essential for heat-assisted magnetic recording media. While hexagonal boron nitride(h-BN) has proven effective for promoting columnar FePt grains, we explored multilayer graphene as an alternative grain boundary material leveraging its structural similarity to h-BN. The FePt granular thin films with carbon-based grain boundary materials(GBMs) were deposited by cosputtering on Si/SiO2 substrates with substrate bias at 650{\deg}C. The RF bias and high temperature facilitated formation of interlinked graphene nanoribbons wrapping around FePt grains, yielding 7.5 nm diameter, 8 nm height grains with an order parameter of 0.78 and a perpendicular coercivity of 40 kOe. However, the formation of graphene nanoribbons could not effectively promote columnar structures, likely due to co-existing amorphous carbon in grain boundaries. Optimizing deposition to improve graphene grain boundary quality is necessary to realize this 2D material's potential for achieving desirable microstructures for HAMR media., Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, first presented in MMM 2023 conference at Dallas

In this paper, we present an experimental study of $\text{L1}_0$-FePt granular films with crystalline/amorphous boron nitride (BN) grain boundary materials for heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). It is found that an adequate RF substrate bias yields the formation of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets in grain boundaries, facilitating the columnar growth of FePt grains during sputtering at high temperatures. The h-BN monolayers conform to the side surfaces of columnar FePt grains, completely encircling individual FePt grains. The resulting core-shell FePt/h-BN nanostructures appear to be highly promising for HAMR application. The high thermal stability of h-BN grain boundaries allows the deposition temperature to be as high as 800oC such that high order parameters of FePt $\text{L1}_0$ phase have been obtained. For the fabricated FePt/h-BN thin film, excellent granular microstructure with FePt grains of 6.5nm in diameter and 11.5nm in height has been achieved along with good magnetic hysteresis properties., Comment: Manuscript: 16 pages, 6 figures attached after references. Supplementary information: page 23-27, 4 figures

A systematic investigation has been performed to optimize the microstructure of $\mathrm{L1_0-FePt-SiO_x}$ granular thin film as recording media for heat-assisted magnetic recording. The FePt-BN nucleation layer, which is stable even at $700^\circ \text{C}$, is used to control the grain sizes and microstructure during high-temperature processing. The study finds that films of high-aspect-ratio FePt grains with well-formed silicon oxide (SiOx) grain boundaries require the grading of the deposition temperature during film growth as well as the grading of the silicon oxide concentration. Well-isolated columnar grains of $\mathrm{L1_0-FePt}$ with an average height greater than 11 nm and diameters less than 7 nm have been achieved. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the microstructures of samples produced under a variety of non-optimal conditions is presented to show how the microstructure of the films depends on each of the sputtering parameters., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, first published in joint MMM-intermag 2022

In this article, a theoretical description of the "ideal glass transition" is approached upon the adoption of a quaternion orientational order parameter. Unlike first-order phase transitions of liquids into crystalline solid states, glass transitions are entirely different phenomena that are non-equilibrium and that are highly dependent on the applied cooling rate. Herein, the "ideal glass transition" that occurs at the finite Kauzmann temperature at which point the configurational entropy of an undercooled liquid matches that of its crystalline counterpart is identified as a first-order quantum critical point. We suggest that this quantum critical point belongs to quaternion ordered systems that exist in four- and three-dimensions. The Kauzmann quantum critical point is considered to be a higher-dimensional analogue to the superfluid-to-Mott insulator quantum phase transition, in two- and one-dimensional complex ordered systems. Such quantum critical points are driven by tuning a non-thermal frustration parameter, and result due to characteristic softening of the 'Higgs' type mode that corresponds to amplitude fluctuations of the order parameter. The first-order nature of the finite temperature Kauzmann quantum critical point is seen as a consequence of the discrete change of the topology of the ground state manifold that applies to crystalline and non-crystalline solid states.

There are three kinds of solid states of matter that can exist in physical space: quasicrystalline (quasiperiodic), crystalline (periodic) and amorphous (aperiodic). Herein, we consider the degree of orientational order that develops upon the formation of a solid state to be characterized by the application of quaternion numbers. The formation of icosahedral quasicrystalline solids is considered alongside the development of bulk superfluidity, characterized by a complex order parameter, that occurs by spontaneous symmetry breaking in three-dimensions. Crystalline solid states are viewed as higher-dimensional analogues to phase-coherent topologically-ordered superfluid states of matter that develop in restricted dimensions (Hohenberg-Mermin- Wagner theorem). Lastly, amorphous solid states are viewed as dual to crystalline solids, in analogy to Mott-insulating states of matter that are dual to topologically-ordered superfluids.

In this article, the solidification phase transition between isotropic liquids and icosahedral quasicrystalline structures is classified by the application of a quaternion orientational order parameter. We suggest that the formation of the E8 lattice in 8-dimensions, from which three-dimensional icosahedral quasicrystals derive by projection, occurs without dimensionally restricting the degrees of freedom of the quaternion orientational order parameter to the quaternion plane. This is different from the development of regular crystalline solids in three-dimensions, which occurs in "restricted dimensions" and requires topological-ordering, as previously discussed by the authors. In other words, herein, the formation of lattices in eight-dimensions is considered as a higher-dimensional analogy to the formation of "bulk" superfluidity. It follows that, the solidification of lattices in 8-dimensions (and derivative icosahedral quasicrystalline solids) should occur without the necessity of topological defects.

Recently, generalizations of quantum Hall effects (QHE) have been made from 2D to 4D and 8D by considering their mathematical frameworks within complex (C), quaternion (H) and octonion (O) compact (gauge) Lie algebra domains. Just as QHE in two-dimensional electron gases can be understood in terms of Chern number topological invariants that belong to the first Chern class, QHE in 4D and 8D can be understood in terms of Chern number topological invariants that belong to the 2nd and 4th Chern classes. It has been shown that 2D QHE phenomena are related to topologically-ordered ground states of Josephson junction arrays (JJAs), which map onto an Abelian gauge theory with a periodic topological term that describes charge-vortex coupling. In these 2D JJAs, magnetic point defects and Cooper pair electric charges are dual to one another via electric-magnetic duality (Montonen-Olive). This leads to a quantum phase transition between phase-coherent superconductor and dual phase-incoherent superinsulator ground states, at a "self-dual" critical point. In this article, a framework for topological-ordering of Bose-Einstein condensates is extended to consider four-dimensional quaternion ordered systems that are related to 4D QHE. This is accomplished with the incorporation of a non-Abelian topological term that describes coupling between third homotopy group point defects (as generalized magnetic vortices) and Cooper pair-like charges. Point defects belonging to the third homotopy group are dual to charge excitations, and this leads to the manifestation of a quantum phase transition between orientationally-ordered and orientationally-disordered ground states at a "self-dual" critical point. The frustrated ground state in the vicinity of this "self-dual" critical point, are characterized by global topological invariants belonging to the 2nd Chern class.

Herein, fundamentals of topology and symmetry breaking are used to understand crystallization and geometrical frustration in topologically close-packed structures. This frames solidification from a new perspective that is unique from thermodynamic discussions. Crystallization is considered as developing from undercooled liquids, in which orientational order is characterized by a surface of a sphere in four-dimensions (quaternion) with the binary polyhedral representation of the preferred orientational order of atomic clustering inscribed on its surface. As a consequence of the dimensionality of the quaternion orientational order parameter, crystallization is seen as occurring in "restricted dimensions." Homotopy theory is used to classify all topologically stable defects, and third homotopy group defect elements are considered to be generalized vortices that are available in superfluid ordered systems. This topological perspective approaches the liquid-to-crystalline solid transition in three-dimensions from fundamental concepts of: Bose-Einstein condensation, the Mermin-Wagner theorem and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) topological-ordering transitions. In doing so, in this article, concepts that apply to superfluidity in "restricted dimensions" are generalized in order to consider the solidification of crystalline solid states.

By the adoption of a quaternion orientational order parameter to describe solidification, the topological origins of the thermal transport properties of crystalline and non-crystalline solid states are considered herein. Global orientational order, achieved by spontaneous symmetry breaking, is prevented at finite temperatures for systems that exist in restricted dimensions (Mermin-Wagner theorem). Just as complex ordered systems exist in restricted dimensions in 2D and 1D, owing to the dimensionality of the order parameter, quaternion ordered systems in 4D and 3D exist in restricted dimensions. Just below the melting temperature, misorientational fluctuations in the form of spontaneously generated topological defects prevent the development of the solid state. Such solidifying systems are well-described using O(4) quantum rotor models, and a defect-driven Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition is anticipated to separate an undercooled fluid from a crystalline solid state. In restricted dimensions, in addition to orientationally-ordered ground states, orientationally-disordered ground states may be realized by tuning a non-thermal parameter in the relevant O(n) quantum rotor model Hamiltonian; thus, glassy solid states are anticipated to exist as distinct ground states of O(4) quantum rotor models. Within this topological framework for solidification, the finite Kauzmann temperature marks a first-order transition between crystalline and glassy solid states at a "self-dual critical point" that belongs to O(4) quantum rotor models. This transition is a higher-dimensional analogue to the quantum phase transition that belongs to O(2) Josephson junction arrays (JJAs). Thermal transport properties of crystalline and glassy solid states, above approximately 50 K, are considered alongside electrical transport properties of JJAs across the superconductor-to-superinsulator transition.

Grain-to-grain Curie temperature (Tc) variation in the media reduces signal-to-noise ratio due to its contribution in transition jitter noise, especially when average grain size is pushing down to increase the area storage capacity. A thermally insulating magnetic grain boundary may suppress such grain-to-grain Tc variation, especially at small grain size. Here we present an experimental study on the effect of adding thermally-insulating magnetic oxide, in particular BaFexOy, as part of the grain boundary materials in granular FePt-C HAMR media. It is found that the BaFexOy is chemically inert to FePt and the chemical ordering of FePt-BaFexOy-C media are similar to that of FePt-C meida. By tuning the volume fraction of BaFexOy and C, well-separated FePt grains (average grain size = 6.8 nm) surrounded by BaFexOy shell with perpendicular Hc above 35 kOe can be obtained. Transmission electron microscopy study with chemical analysis shows that the magnetic oxide appears to be crystalline and surround the FePt grains with immediate full enclosure. Magnetic measurements indicate an effective increase of magnetic grain size at temperatures below FePt Curie temperature. Pulsed laser pump-probe measurement indicates a measurable reduction of Curie temperature variation for the FePt-BaFexOy-C media with carefully comparison with the reference FePt-C media.