Dependences of the evolution of microstructure, in-plane tensile stress, and crystallographic orientation
on rapid thermal annealing in the single-layered FePt films were investigated. By manipulating annealing
temperature (450e800 C), a texture transition from (111) to nearly perfect (001) was induced by a
measured huge tensile stress of 2.4 GPa. Based on the microstructural observation and in-plane residual
stress measurement, the tensile stress originated from the annihilation of grain boundaries and probably
the unexpected surface oxidation of the L10 FePt films during annealing. Conversely, L10 ordering caused
the relaxation of the accumulated tensile stress.