Magnetic interactions and interface properties in Co/Fe multilayers

Abstract

Co/Fe multilayers with different layer thickness formed by electron beam evaporation in ultrahigh vacuum have been investigated by grazing incidence x-ray reflectivity ͑GIXRR͒ and alternating gradient force magnetometry. The interface thicknesses are lower than GIXRR uncertainty ͑ϳ1 nm͒, favoring a strong magnetic exchange interaction between the layers responsible for their single phase magnetic behavior. The hysteresis loops were interpreted as the result of two different magnetization processes related to the presence of an out-of-plane component of the magnetization.

Dependence of soft-magnetic properties on film thickness and high frequency characteristics for Fe–Co–Cr–N alloy films

“…One is the increase of surface roughness (Fig. 3), which favors the increase of coercivity [19,20]. The other is that the increase of the film thickness makes crystallites grow to a large grain size (Fig.…”

“…This is ascribed to a large surface roughness (Fig. 3), which can be one of the reasons for decreasing in-plane magnetic anisotropy [19][20][21].…”

Structural order and magnetic anisotropy transition in Co/Fe multilayers

“…On the origin of such a magnetic texture, a number of experiments have been carried out and several causes have been considered: stresses induced by sample clamping 10 and lattice mismatch, 11 magnetostatic interactions due to stepped substrates, 12,13 magnetostriction phenomena at filmsubstrate interface, 14 mechanical influence, 15 patterning, 16 growing incidence angle, 17,18 structural phase transition in growing layers, 19 and external magnetic field during growth. 6 In previous works, 8,20 an in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was observed in Co/Fe multilayers grown under the same conditions, and any influence from the substrate material, the stresses induced by sample cutting, and the precipitation of metal oxides was excluded. In the present work, 5͓Co10/Fe10͔ multilayers were simultaneously deposited on two separated substrates, in order to check the eventual influence of environmental causes such as earth and dispersed magnetic fields, or small deviations from the perpendicular incidence between the electron-beam source and substrate.…”

Exchange-spring magnets based on L10-FePt ordered phase

“…Previous works on model systems [7][8][9] pointed out that a determining role in the exchange coupling between different magnetic layers is played by their nature and morphology, and by the interdiffusion phenomena occurring at the interfaces. In order to analyse these effects, Mössbauer spectroscopy has been performed on FePt/Fe bi-layers and related to the exchange coupling occurring between the soft and hard phases.…”