Influence of Ni content on the microstructure and magnetic and magneto-optical properties of sputtered (Co1-xNix)Pt3 alloy films

Influence of Ni content on the microstructure and magnetic and magneto-optical (MO) properties of sputtered (Co1-xNix)Pt3 alloy films has been investigated by means of Kerr spectrometer, Kerr hysteresis looper, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). On the whole, the addition of Ni to the CoPt3 alloy film simultaneously decreases the Curie temperature TC and the Kerr rotation angle θK, but the decrease of TC with Ni content is more visible. When the Ni content x is increased from 0 to 0.33, TC decreases from 273 ○C to 233 ○C, whereas the decrease of θK is quite limited and the film still preserves a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and a high coercivity, indicating that the (Co1-xNix)Pt3 alloy film with x=0.33 can be used for practical MO applications. Further increase of Ni content decreases the θK significantly and destroys the PMA. XRD and AFM studies show that adding a small amount of Ni in the CoPt3 alloy film will promote the growth of grains and roughen the film surface, and thus enhance the coercivity of the film. We observe also that both the coercivity and PMA are not sensitive to the (111) preferred orientation of the (Co1-xNix )Pt3 alloy films.     

Abnormal reduction of coercivity on magnetic cobalt–platinum alloy films

Ultrathin Co–Pt alloy films as substrate were studied by the surface magneto-optical Kerr effect. As the growth of Ni, the films show uniquely high polar Kerr responses without any in-plane signals. The coercivity decreased until the thickness of Ni film was higher than 5 ML. A new surface structure was discovered at 7–10 ML Ni/Co–Pt films by the low-energy electron diffraction. Interestingly, polar Kerr signal and coercivity of the 10 ML Ni/Co–Pt(1 1 1) template film reduced rapidly as Co films were further deposited onto only about 1–2 ML. Then the films show a canted magnetization with a rollback hysteresis in the polar configuration during the growth of Co. Coercivity of the 7 ML Co/Ni/Co–Pt film was found unusually down to almost 100 Oe.The corresponding magic number at around 7 ML of Co in the abnormal reduction of coercivity may be attributed to the cluster formations of Co.     

Thickness-dependent coercivity of ultrathin Co films on a rough substrate: Cu-buffered Si(111)

The hysteresis loops, of Co films with thicknesses ranging from 12- to 80-monolayer-equivalent (MLE) coverages grown by thermal evaporation on a Cu-covered Si(111) surface, were measured in situ by the surface magneto-optic Kerr effect (SMOKE) technique. The hysteresis loops were measured as a function of Co coverage under an external sinusoidal magnetic field at fixed driving frequency. The coercivity H_c of the Co film versus thickness t followed a power law t⁻ⁿ with n=0.4±0.1 between 12 and 44 MLE, and stabilized after 44 MLE, up to the 80 MLE studied. The surface morphology of the 80-MLE Co film was imaged ex situ by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), revealing cauliflower-like islands that were rough both in the short and long range. Analysis of the height–height correlation function for the largest image gave measurements of the effective roughness exponent (0.8), the vertical interface width w(2500 Å), and the lateral correlation length ξ(10 000 Å). We suggest that the coercivity changed in part due to changes in roughness of the Co films, deposited on a rough substrate; the spatial roughness would create an additional surface anisotropy, contributing to a fluctuation in the domain wall energy, resulting in a roughness-dependent coercivity.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Co-C composite films and Co/C multilayer films

CoC composite films and Co/C multilayer films have been prepared by a method incorporating ion beam sputtering and plasma chemical vapor deposition. It has been found that the structure and magnetic properties of both the Co-C composite and the Co/C multilayer films depend strongly on the substrate temperature during deposition. The Co-C composite film deposited at room temperature is amorphous, with relatively low saturation magnetization and coercivity. On the other hand, the film deposited at 250 °C is composed of fine Co crystallites separated by amorphous C or Co-C phase. As a result, both the saturation magnetization and coercivity are increased compared with the film deposited at room temperature. When deposited at room temperature, the Co/C multilayer film exhibits good periodicity, with a period of 70 nm (Co: 40 nm, C: 30 nm) and sharp and flat Co-C interfaces. High magnetization (602 emu/cm³) and low coercivity (1.6 Oe) are obtained for such a film. However, increasing the substrate temperature to 250 °C was found to be detrimental to the magnetic properties due to the formation of cobalt carbide at the Co-C interface. Received: 11 July 2000 / Accepted: 13 July 2000 / Published online: 30 November 2000     

Ultrafast pulsed laser deposition as a method for the synthesis of innovative magnetic films

Exchange-coupled monocomponent magnetic films constituted of disk-shaped Ni and Fe nanoparticles were produced by ultrafast pulsed laser deposition, in vacuum. These films show a peculiar cauliflower-like structure, made of granular agglomerates of nanoparticles sticking to one another with a significant shape and orientation anisotropy. Both as-deposited Ni and Fe films present hysteresis loops with a high in-plane remanence ratio (0.61 and 0.81 at 250 K, respectively), relatively low values of the saturation and coercive fields and a steep slope near coercivity. At temperature of 10 K and 250 K, the magnetization curves confirm the strong influence of the production technique on the topologic structure of these films, and consequently on their magnetic properties. In perspective, the striking and intriguing properties of these nanogranular films appear very promising for potential application as permanent magnets and in data storage technology.     

Epitaxy and magnetic properties of surfactant-mediated growth of bcc cobalt

High resolution core level photoemission spectroscopy, photoelectron diffraction, and x-ray magnetic circular dicroism (XMCD) have been used to characterize the structural and magnetic properties of bcc-cobalt films grown on GaAs(110) substrates by using Sb as a surfactant. We have unambiguously disentangled the surfactant role played by the Sb which improves the crystallinity and reduces the lattice distortion of the metallic films as well as changes the interdiffusion process at the interface compared to the Co/GaAs(110) system. As a consequence of these combined effects, an improvement on the magnetic response of the grown Co thin films has been observed by XMCD measurements.     

Magnetic nanoparticles as building blocks for high-performance magnetic materials

We report on the magnetic behaviour of films of Fe nanoparticles deposited from the gas phase with sizes in the range 2–3 nm embedded in Ag and Co matrices and Co nanoparticles of the same size embedded in Ag matrices. Magnetometry measurements, using a VSM, of very low volume fraction (1–2%) assemblies of Fe and Co in Ag show perfect superparamagnetism and enable us to confirm that the size distribution of the particles in the matrix is the same as that of the free particles prior to deposition. The hysteresis loops at 2 K, which is below the blocking temperature, show that the particles have a uniaxial anisotropy that is randomly oriented in three dimensions with the Co nanoparticles having a much higher anisotropy than the Fe particles. The soft magnetic behaviour of pure Fe and Co nanoparticle films with no matrix is well described by a random anisotropy model and is consistent with the formation of a correlated super-spin glass (CSSG) characteristic of amorphous materials. The Co nanoparticle films appear to have a lower random anisotropy than the Fe ones in contrast to the behaviour observed for the isolated particles. Films of Fe nanoparticles embedded in Co matrices, whose saturation magnetization exceeds the Slater–Pauling curve, also show magnetic behaviour consistent with a CSSG. At high volume fractions, the films of Fe nanoparticles embedded in Co matrices behave almost identically to films of pure Co nanoparticles.     

Magnetic behavior of nanocrystalline CoFe2O4

Magnetic nanoparticles of CoFe₂O₄ have been synthesized under an applied magnetic field through a co-precipitation method followed by thermal treatments at different temperatures, producing nanoparticles of varying size. The magnetic behavior of these nanoparticles was investigated. As-grown nanoparticles demonstrate superparamagnetism above the blocking temperature, which is dependent on the particle size. One of the nanoparticles demonstrated a constricted magnetic hysteresis loop with no or small coercivity and remanence at low magnetic field. However, the loop opens up at high magnetic field. This magnetic behavior is attributed to the preferred Co ions and vacancies arrangements when the CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized under an applied magnetic field. Furthermore, this magnetic property is strongly dependent on the high temperature heat treatments that produce Co ions and vacancies disorder.     

Depth-dependent magnetism in epitaxial MnSb thin films: effects of surface passivation and cleaning

Depth-dependent magnetism in MnSb(0001) epitaxial films has been studied by combining experimental methods with different surface specificities: polarized neutron reflectivity, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), x-ray resonant magnetic scattering and spin-polarized low energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM). A native oxide ～4.5?nm thick covers air-exposed samples which increases the film's coercivity. HCl etching efficiently removes this oxide and in situ surface treatment of etched samples enables surface magnetic contrast to be observed in SPLEEM. A thin Sb capping layer prevents oxidation and preserves ferromagnetism throughout the MnSb film. The interpretation of Mn L(3,2) edge XMCD data is discussed.     

Co/Ni多层膜垂直磁各向异性的研究

采用直流磁控溅射法在玻璃基片上制备了Pt底层的Co/Ni多层膜样品, 对影响样品垂直磁各向异性的各因素进行了调制, 通过样品的反常霍尔效应系统的研究了Co/Ni多层膜的垂直磁各向异性. 结果表明, 多层膜中各层的厚度及周期数对样品的反常霍尔效应和磁性有重要的影响. 通过对多层膜各个参数的调制优化, 最终获得了具有良好的垂直磁各向异性的Co/Ni多层膜最佳样品Pt(2.0)/Co(0.2)/Ni(0.4)/Co(0.2)/Pt(2.0), 经计算, 该样品的各向异性常数K_eff 达到了3.6×10⁵ J/m³, 说明样品具备良好的垂直磁各向异性. 最佳样品磁性层厚度仅为0.8 nm, 样品总厚度在5 nm以内, 可更为深入的研究其与元件的集成性.     

Aligned Ni nanoparticle arrays encapsulated in carbon nanotubes

Using the carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays embedded in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template as an electrode, large amounts of Ni nanoparticles have been encapsulated into the CNTs by an alternating current (AC) electrodepostion technique. As deposited Ni nanoparticles with a typical size of 50–60 nm randomly nucleated on the CNT walls, thus inhomogeneously distributed in the CNTs. After annealing at 600 ^°C, the nanoparticles transformed into quasi-spherical structures with the diameter increasing to 60–80 nm. The quasi-spherical nanoparticles were aligned in orderly rows along the axis of the CNT channels. Magnetic hysteresis measured at 5 K showed that the coercivity was 450 Oe for the as-deposited sample and 385 Oe for annealed sample, with the applied magnetic field parallel with the CNT’s axis. The structures and magnetic properties were discussed for both as-deposited and annealed samples.     

Morphology and magnetic properties of island-like Co and Ni films obtained by de-wetting

The morphological, structural, and magnetic properties of Co and Ni films of different thicknesses grown by RF sputtering on a Si–SiO substrate and submitted to controlled diffusion of atoms on the substrate (de-wetting) are studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and alternating-gradient magnetometry. For both metals, de-wetting treatment leads to the growth of non-percolating, metallic nanoislands characterized by a distribution of sizes and aspect ratios. XRD spectra reveal a polycrystalline multi-component structure evolving by effect of de-wetting and directly affecting the magnetic properties of films. The magnetic response after de-wetting is consistent with the formation of a nanogranular magnetic phase characterized by a complex, thickness-dependent magnetic behavior originating from the simultaneous presence of superparamagnetic and blocked-particle contributions. At intermediate film thickness (around 10 nm), a notable enhancement in magnetic coercivity is observed for both metals with respect to the values measured in precursor films and in their bulk counterparts.     

Magnetic behaviour of arrays of nickel nanowires with small diameter

Arrays of nickel nanowires have been fabricated within a template of porous alumina by electrochemical deposition. Measurements of magnetic hysteresis loops were performed at room temperature with a vibrating sample magnetometer. Coercivity and squareness of the arrays are closely related to l/D and diameter of the nanowires, and the angle θ between the normal line of the alumina surface and the applied magnetic field. For the same diameter of 10 nm, the coercivity and squareness increase remarkably with l/D when the l/D is less than 100. The diameter and angle θ dependences of coercivity do not follow the relationships of curling, fanning or coherent rotation mode of magnetization while thermal activation for magnetization reversal becomes remarkable for the arrays of Ni nanowires with the diameter less than 18 nm but the same l/D of 50. The coercivity of the arrays with the magnetic field perpendicular to the film surface is linear with D^−3/2 of Ni nanowires. From the fitting line, the critical diameter for superparamagnetism at room temperature and pure coercivity for such Ni nanowire arrays are found to be 6 nm and 1200 Oe respectively.     

Temperature dependence of the effective anisotropy in Ni nanowire arrays

Magnetic hysteresis in Ni nanowire arrays grown by electrodeposition inside the pores of anodic alumina templates is studied as a function of temperature in the range between 5 K and 300 K. Nanowires with different diameters, aspect ratios, inter-wire distance in the array and surface condition (smooth and rough) are synthesized. These microstructure parameters are linked to the different free magnetic energy contributions determining coercivity and the controlling magnetization reversal mechanisms. Coercivity increases with temperature in arrays of nanowires with rough surfaces and small diameters ─33 nm and 65 nm─ when measured without removing the alumina template and/or the Al substrate. For thicker wires ─200 nm in diameter and relatively smooth surfaces─ measured without the Al substrate, coercivity decreases as temperature rises. These temperature dependences of magnetic hysteresis are described in terms of an effective magnetic anisotropy K_a, resulting from the interplay of magnetocrystalline, magnetoelastic and shape anisotropies, together with the magnetostatic interaction energy density between nanowires in the array. The experimentally determined coercive fields are compared with results of micromagnetic calculations, performed considering the magnetization reversal mode acting in each studied array and microstructure parameters. A method is proposed to roughly estimate the value of K_a experimentally, from the hysteresis loops measured at different temperatures. These measured values are in agreement with theoretical calculations. The observed temperature dependence of coercivity does not arise from an intrinsic property of pure Ni but from the nanowires surface roughness and the way the array is measured, with or without the alumina template and/or the aluminum support.     

Effect of oxygen exposure on the magnetic properties of ultrathin Co/Ge(1 1 1) films

Influences of oxygen exposure on the magnetic properties of Co/Ge(1 1 1) ultrathin films have been investigated by surface magneto-optic Kerr effect technique. As the oxygen exposure increases on Co/Ge(1 1 1) films, their magnetic properties could be modified. As an example for 15 ML Co/Ge(1 1 1) films, the coercivity increases from 730 to 920 Oe and the remanence Kerr intensity is reduced for 500 Langmuir (L) of oxygen exposure. Corresponding compositions analyzed by Auger electron spectroscopy measurement shows that the amount of oxygen on the surface layers increases with increasing the oxygen exposure time. Oxygen distributes on the topmost layers of the film. The adsorbed oxygen influences the electronic density of states of Co and results in the changes of the magnetic properties. Besides, the appearance of O/Co/Ge interface could modify the stress anisotropy, and as a result the coercivity of ultrathin Co/Ge(1 1 1) film is enhanced.     

Effect of annealing on the magnetic and magnetooptical properties of Ni films

The magnetic and magnetooptical properties of 50-to 200-nm-thick Ni films, both as-deposited and annealed at T_ann = 300, 400, or 500°C, were studied. Volume and near-surface hysteresis loops were measured with a vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM) and with the use of the transverse Kerr effect (TKE). The annealing temperature was found to exert a strong effect on the magnetic characteristics of the samples under study. It was established, in particular, that the coercivity H _C of Ni films increases and the remanent magnetization decreases with increasing annealing temperature. The observed dependences of the magnetic properties of the films on film thickness and annealing temperature are explained as being due to microstructural characteristics of the samples. It was found that, while TKE spectra obtained in the incident-photon energy region from 1.5 to 6 eV have the same shape for all the Ni films studied, the magnitude of the TKE decreases with increasing T_ann. This experimental observation is accounted for by the decreased saturation magnetization of the annealed films.     

Co-Pt-C颗粒膜的磁性

利用磁控溅射方法制备多层膜后，再经热处理得到Co-Pt-C颗粒膜.热处理使Co-Pt颗粒从非晶相转向fcc CoPt3和fct CoPt稳定有序相，C则保持非晶态.Pt成分占Co，Pt总体积的70%时，膜的矫顽力Hc可超过400?kA/m.C插层厚度为0.2—0.6nm时，Hc最大，且在磁滞回线上出现“肩膀”.分析认为这是由于存在两个磁性不同的Co-Pt晶相，受C成分比的影响，使它们之间的耦合性质和强度不同造成的. 关键词： Co Pt C 磁滞回线 颗粒膜     

High coercivity in large exchange-bias Co/CoO-MgO nano-granular films

We present a detailed study on the magnetic coercivity of Co/CoO-MgO core-shell systems, which exhibits a large exchange bias due to an increase of the uncompensated spin density at the interface between the CoO shell and the metallic Co core by replacing Co by Mg within the CoO shell. We find a large magnetic coercivity of 7120 Oe around the electrical percolation threshold of the Co/CoO core/shell particles, while samples with a smaller or larger Co metal volume fraction show a considerably smaller coercivity. Thus, this study may lead to a route to improving the magnetic properties of artificial magnetic material in view of potential applications.     

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of ultrathin FeCo alloy films on Pd(0 0 1) surface: First principles study

Using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method, thickness dependent magnetic anisotropy of ultrathin FeCo alloy films in the range of 1 monolayer (ML) to 5 ML coverage on Pd(0 0 1) surface has been explored. We have found that the FeCo alloy films have close to half metallic state and well-known surface enhancement in thin film magnetism is observed in Fe atom, whereas the Co has rather stable magnetic moment. However, the largest magnetic moment in Fe and Co is found at 1 ML thickness. Interestingly, it has been observed that the interface magnetic moments of Fe and Co are almost the same as those of surface elements. The similar trend exists in orbital magnetic moment. This indicates that the strong hybridization between interface FeCo alloy and Pd gives rise to the large magnetic moment. Theoretically calculated magnetic anisotropy shows that the 1 ML FeCo alloy has in-plane magnetization, but the spin reorientation transition (SRT) from in-plane to perpendicular magnetization is observed above 2 ML thickness with huge magnetic anisotropy energy. The maximum magnetic anisotropy energy for perpendicular magnetization is as large as 0.3 meV/atom at 3 ML film thickness with saturation magnetization of . Besides, the calculated X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) has been presented.     

Thickness-dependent magnetic properties in Pt/[Co/Ni]n multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We systematically investigated the Ni and Co thickness-dependent perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) coefficient, magnetic domain structures, and magnetization dynamics of Pt(5 nm)/[Co($t_{\rm Co}$)/Ni($t_{\rm Ni}$)]$_{5}$/Pt(1 nm) multilayers by combining the four standard magnetic characterization techniques. The magnetic-related hysteresis loops obtained from the field-dependent magnetization $M$ and anomalous Hall resistivity (AHR) $\rho_{{xy}}$ showed that the two serial multilayers with $t_{\rm Co} = 0.2$ nm and 0.3 nm have the optimum PMA coefficient $K_{\rm U}$ as well as the highest coercivity $H_{\rm C}$ at the Ni thickness $t_{\rm Ni}= 0.6 $ nm. Additionally, the magnetic domain structures obtained by magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy also significantly depend on the thickness and $K_{\rm U}$ of the films. Furthermore, the thickness-dependent linewidth of ferromagnetic resonance is inversely proportional to $K_{\rm U}$ and $H_{\rm C}$, indicating that inhomogeneous magnetic properties dominate the linewidth. However, the intrinsic Gilbert damping constant determined by a linear fitting of the frequency-dependent linewidth does not depend on the Ni thickness and $K_{\rm U}$. Our results could help promote the PMA [Co/Ni] multilayer applications in various spintronic and spin-orbitronic devices.