Corrosion chemistry of magneto-optic data storage media

Environmental stability is particularly important for thin film materials since small changes in surface structure and chemistry may result in significant degradation of the magnetic or optical properties. Two aspects of the corrosion chemistry of these materials are discussed Dealloying processes may be important for rare earth/transition metal systems due to the thermodynamic driving force for selective dissolution of the rare earth elements. Corrosion resistance of many metals and alloys is related to the formation of an interfacial oxide layer. The formation and stability of these films are important for both alloy and multilayer systems.