We report a large
interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy
(PMA) in [Fe2CoSi/Pt]
n
(FCS/Pt)
multilayers deposited on thermally oxidized Si substrates. A maximum
anisotropy energy density, K
u, of 2.64
Merg/cm3 is achieved with an optimized stack. We are able
to tune the PMA by adjusting the Pt and FCS film thicknesses and number
of periods of the multilayer structure, as these significantly affect
the lattice structure of FCS/Pt stack. Both high-resolution transmission
electron microscopy and structural relaxation of the atomistic model
using first-principles calculations reveal that while the multilayer
structure assumes a monoclinic structure (α = 84°), the
FCS films undergo a local orthorhombic distortion from the bulk structure
due to the strain imposed by the FCS/Pt interface. By analyzing the
orbital-resolved density of states of the system, we propose that
both the orthorhombic distortion of the FCS and orbital interactions
between interface Pt and Fe atoms are responsible for the high PMA.
For the first time, a large interfacial PMA is demonstrated in the
Fe-based Heusler/Pt multilayer structure with underlying mechanisms
discussed via both experiments and first-principles calculations.
Thus, we have shown that there is great potential in strain-enhanced
FCS/Pt multilayers in future applications in spintronic devices.