Dependency of coercivity on Co layer thickness in Co/Cu multilayer structures

Author

Cheng, S.F. ; Harris, V.G. ; Prinz, G.A.

Author_Institution

Carderock Div., Naval Surface Warfare Center, West Bethesda, MD, USA

Volume

33

Issue

5

fYear

1997

fDate

9/1/1997 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

3529

Lastpage

3531

Abstract

The magnetic and structural properties of Co/Cu multilayered film structures were studied as a function of Co layer thickness to determine the interrelationship between coercivity and ferromagnetic layer thickness. The nominal compositions of the films are NiFe(50 Å)/Cu(2500 Å)/[Co(t)/Cu(50 Å)]x, where t=7, 10, 25, 50, 100 Å for x=20, and t=200, 400, and 2000 Å for x=10, 5, and 1, respectively. The measured coercivity correlates strongly with the changes in the local structural properties of the Co layers. Values were found to decrease with increasing t for t<200 Å in response to the decreasing effect of surface and interface domain wall pinning. For t⩾200 Å coercivity values increase corresponding with the increased magnetocrystalline anisotropy associated with a transition in the Co layer from an fcc state to an hcp state

Keywords

Permalloy; cobalt; coercive force; copper; ferromagnetic materials; magnetic anisotropy; magnetic domain walls; magnetic multilayers; Co layer thickness; NiFe-Co-Cu-Co; coercivity; domain wall pinning; ferromagnetic layer; magnetocrystalline anisotropy; multilayer structures; Anisotropic magnetoresistance; Coercive force; Magnetic anisotropy; Magnetic domain walls; Magnetic domains; Magnetic films; Magnetic multilayers; Magnetic properties; Nonhomogeneous media; Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Magnetics, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9464

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/20.619487

Filename

619487