FePt:C thin films were deposited on CrRu underlayers by DC magnetron co-sputtering. The effects of C content, FePt:C film thickness and substrate temperature on the microstructural and magnetic properties of the epitaxial FePt (001) films were studied. Experimental results showed that even with 30 vol.% C doping, the FePt films could keep a (001) preferred orientation at 350 degrees C. When a FePt:C film was very thin (<5 nm), the film had a continuous microstructure instead of a granual structure with C diffused onto the film surface. With further increased film thickness, the film started to nucleate and formed a column microstructure over continuous FePt films. A strong exchange coupling in the FePt:C films was believed to be due to the presence of a thin continuous FePt layer attributed to the carbon diffusion during the initial stage of the FePt:C film growth. Despite the presence of a strong exchange coupling in the FePt:C (20 vol.% C) film, the SNR ratio of the FePt:C media was about 10 dB better than that of the pure FePt media. The epitaxial growth of the FePt:C films on the Pt layers was observed from high resolution TEM cross sectional images even for the films grown at about 200 degrees C. The TEM images did not show an obvious change in the morphology of the FePt:C films deposited at different temperatures (from 200 degrees C to 350 degrees C), though the ordering degree and coercivity of the films increased with increased substrate temperature. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.