On Mechanism of Oxide Formation in Electrodeposited Co-based Films with Columnar Structure

An investigation of the Co oxides formation and distribution dependent on preparation conditions during electrodeposition of hcp Co-based films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy has been made. It has been shown that the [100] oriented columnar crystallites promote some regularity in impurity distribution and orientation in the film plane, whereas the [001] oriented ones- non-regular distribution. Such a behaviour is associated with the difference in the impurity incorporation for these two cases: preferably crystalline and intergranular, respectively, and atomic bonds saturation, and influence on the mechanical and magnetic properties of the investigated films.