A CoPt-oxide-based in-plane magnetized film having a magnetic coercive force of 2.00 kOe or more and remanent magnetization per unit area Mrt of 2.00 memu/cm.sup.2 or more. The in-plane magnetized film for use as a hard bias layer of a magnetoresistive element contains metal Co, metal Pt, and an oxide. The in-plane magnetized film contains the metal Co in an amount of 55 at % or more and less than 95 at % and the metal Pt in an amount of more than 5 at % and 45 at % or less relative to a total of metal components of the in-plane magnetized film, and contains the oxide in an amount of 10 vol % or more and 42 vol % or less relative to a whole amount of the in-plane magnetized film. The in-plane magnetized film has a thickness of 20 nm or more and 80 nm or less.

[Object] To provide a sputtering target with further improved sputtering efficiency, and a method of producing the sputtering target. [Solving Means] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a sputtering target according to an embodiment of the present invention is a cobalt target having a sputtering surface and a purity of 99.95 wt % or more. An intensity ratio (I.sub.(002)+I.sub.(004))/(I.sub.(100)+I.sub.(002)+I.sub.(101)+I.sub.(102)+I.sub.(110)+I.sub.(103)+I.sub.(112)+I.sub.(004)) of X-ray diffraction peaks corresponding to a (100) plane, a (002) plane, a (101) plane, a (102) plane, a (110) plane, a (103) plane, a (112) plane, and a (004) plane of a hexagonal close-packed lattice structure along the sputtering surface is 0.85 or more.

A method of making a sputtering target in which an atomized powder including, in at. %, 10 to 50% of B, 0 to 20% in total of one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Re, Ru, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, and Ag, and a balance of one or both of Co and Fe, and unavoidable impurities is provided. Fine particles are removed from the atomized powder to obtain a powder having a particle distribution where the cumulative volume of particles having a particle diameter of 5 μm or less is 10% or less, and the cumulative volume of particles having a particle diameter of 30 μm or less is 5-40%. The obtained powder is sintered to form a sputtering target comprising a sintered body. The sputtering target comprises hydrogen of 20 ppm or less.

A stage device includes a stage configured to hold a target substrate in a vacuum chamber, a chiller having a cold head maintained at an extremely low temperature and a cold heat transfer body fixed in contact with the cold head and disposed below a bottom surface of the stage with a gap between the stage and the cold heat transfer body. The stage device further includes a heat insulating structure unit having a vacuum insulated structure and configured to surround at least the cold head and a connection portion between the cold head and the cold heat transfer body, cooling fluid supplied to the gap to transfer cold heat of the cold heat transfer body to the stage, and a stage support rotated by a driving mechanism and configured to rotatably support the stage.

Provided is a sputtering target or a film which is characterized by containing 0.1 to 10 mol % of an oxide of one or more types selected from FeO, Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, K.sub.2O, Na.sub.2O, PbO, and ZnO, 5 to 70 mol % of Pt, and the remainder being Fe. The present invention addresses the issue of providing a sputtering target capable of considerably reducing the particles caused by nonmagnetic materials and significantly improving the yield during deposition. It is thereby possible to deposit a quality magnetic recording layer and improve yield of a magnetic recording medium.

Provided is a sputtering target or a film which is characterized by containing 0.1 to 10 mol % of an oxide of one or more types selected from FeO, Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, K.sub.2O, Na.sub.2O, PbO, and ZnO, 5 to 70 mol % of Pt, and the remainder being Fe. The present invention addresses the issue of providing a sputtering target capable of considerably reducing the particles caused by nonmagnetic materials and significantly improving the yield during deposition. It is thereby possible to deposit a quality magnetic recording layer and improve yield of a magnetic recording medium.

Provided is a sputtering target, the sputtering target containing 0.05 at % or more of Bi and having a total content of metal oxides of from 10 vol % to 60 vol %, the balance containing at least Co and Pt.

A film formation apparatus includes a target containing a magnetic material, a support that supports a substrate and locates the substrate in an arrangement region opposing the target, and a magnetic field formation unit located at a side of the arrangement region opposite to the target. The magnetic field formation unit forms a horizontal magnetic field parallel to an oscillation direction, which is one direction extending along the substrate, at a side of the arrangement region where the target is located. The magnetic field formation unit oscillates the horizontal magnetic field in the oscillation direction at least between one end of the arrangement region and another end of the arrangement region in the oscillation direction.

A film formation apparatus includes a target containing a magnetic material, a support that supports a substrate and locates the substrate in an arrangement region opposing the target, and a magnetic field formation unit located at a side of the arrangement region opposite to the target. The magnetic field formation unit forms a horizontal magnetic field parallel to an oscillation direction, which is one direction extending along the substrate, at a side of the arrangement region where the target is located. The magnetic field formation unit oscillates the horizontal magnetic field in the oscillation direction at least between one end of the arrangement region and another end of the arrangement region in the oscillation direction.

The object of the present invention is to attain an unconventionally high tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio by using a barrier layer made of an MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 type insulator material with a spinel structure. The problem can be solved by a magnetic tunnel junction in which a barrier layer is made of a cubic nonmagnetic material having a spinel structure, and both of two ferromagnetic layers that are adjacently on and below the barrier layer are made of a Co.sub.2FeAl Heusler alloy. Preferably, the nonmagnetic material is made of oxide of an Mg.sub.1−xAl.sub.x (0<x≤1) alloy, and exhibits tunnel magnetoresistance of 250% or more and 34000% or less at a room temperature.