Isotropic in-plane external stressing of ferromagnetic films

Magnetoelastic effects due to internal stress strongly influence the magnetic properties of thin ferromagnetic films. Here we propose a method to create a tensile stress state, isotropic along the plane of the film, which superimposes on the intrinsic stress (also normally isotropic). Thus the study of the effects of deposition or epitaxial stresses onto anisotropy properties of thin films becomes feasible. As an application, magneto-optical polar Kerr hysteresis loop measurements have been carried out on Ni films electroplated on elastic bronze substrates; the magnetoelastic anisotropy created reduces the total in-plane anisotropy field of about 20% for a radial deformation of 3·10^-3, around 100 times the saturation magnetostriction of bulk Ni