Effect of thermal annealing on the magnetic properties of thin films of Co-Pd alloys

The results of studies of the effect of thermal annealing on the magnetic properties of thin films of Co-Pd alloys are described, along with a method for obtaining easy-axis perpendicular anisotropy in these materials. The method consists of depositing layers of the alloy on a substrate whose thermal expansion coefficient is considerably smaller than that of the film, and then annealing it in a vacuum. This method is used to prepare samples with rectangular hysteresis loops for magnetization perpendicular to the plane of the film, coercive forces of 750 Oe, and Kerr rotation angles of 0.21°. Also presented are the results of experiments on thermomagnetic recording on the samples. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 66–70 (April 1998)