ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Co/Pd multilayered films exhibit large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and have attracted attention as new materials for recording media and for other applications. The coercivity (Hc), however, is small in as-sputtered films. We have found that Hc increased markedly with the atmospheric annealing at 300 °C to 2 kOe, and studied the change in film structure and reason of the increase in Hc with the annealing. The rf magnetron sputtering method was employed in fabricating the films. Film structure changes were observed by x-ray diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectrography, and atomic force microscopy. The increase in Hc was observed only in the atmospheric annealing, and not in the vacuum-annealing. The internal structure of films after the atmospheric annealing at 300 °C consisted of columnar parts that had the multilayered structure that undertook vertical magnetization and column boundaries being surrounded by Co oxides. As a consequence, domain wall binding occurs in the segregated areas of the oxides in the column boundaries, thereby increasing Hc.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.353853
