FexPt100-x(30 nm) and [FexPt100-x(3 nm)/ZrO2](10) (x = 37, 48, 57, 63, 69) films with different ZrO2 content were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering technique, then were annealed at 550 degrees C for 30 min. This work investigates the effect of ZrO2 doping on the microstructural evolution, magnetic properties, grain size, as well as the ordering kinetics of FePt alloy films. The as deposited films behaved a disordered state, and the ordered L1(o) structure was obtained by post-annealing. The magnetic properties of the films are changed from soft magnetism to hard magnetism after annealing. The variation of the largest coercivities of [Fe,Pt100-x/ZrO2](10) films with the Fe atomic percentage, x and differing amounts of ZrO2 content reveals that as we increase the ZrO2 content we must correspondingly increase the amount of Fe. This phenomenon suggests that the Zr or O atoms of ZrO2 preferentially react with the Fe atoms of FePt alloy to form compounds. In addition, introducing the nonmagnetic ZrO2 can reduce the intergrain exchange interactions of the FePt/ZrO2 films, and the interactions are decreased as the ZrO2 content increases, the dipole interactions are observed in FePt/ZrO2 films as the ZrO2 content is more than 15%. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.