Abstract
The role of a small exchange coupling between isolated single-domain magnetic dots through a thin continuous film-in a system called capped bit-patterned media (CBPM)-has been studied experimentally using anomalous Hall effect measurements. The exchange coupling, provided by the thin continuous layer, was effective in reducing the switching field distribution (SFD) and coercivity under optimized conditions. SFD increases and coercivity decreases for very high values of exchange coupling due to the formation of multi-domains. Besides reducing SFD, the CBPM also exhibit potential writability advantage at higher densities, indicating their potential application as bit-patterned media. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3645634]