Newly developed SmCo₅thin film with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Abstract

A sputter-deposited SmCo5 thin film with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy has been developed. The Sm–Co film, composed of [Co (0.41 nm)/Sm (0.31 nm)]35, was prepared by sputtering on a Cu (100 nm)/glass substrate at various substrate temperatures. The coercivity was found to increase rapidly at 325–345°C and to be much greater in the direction perpendicular to the film surface than in the film plane. By using in-plane x-ray diffractometry, reflection peaks of the Sm–Co film deposited at 325–345°C were confirmed to originate from the SmCo5 phase, and the film showed a preferred orientation of the c-axis in the direction perpendicular to the film surface. The Co/Sm laminate structure deposited on the Cu seedlayer at an appropriate substrate temperature was found to be the key to promoting crystallization of the SmCo5 with its c-axis oriented perpendicular to the film surface.

Formation of Sm(Co1–xNix)5epitaxial thin films on Cu(111) underlayers

“…F s and F f are respectively S[f Sm -{(1-x)f Co +xf Ni }] and f Sm +5{(1-x)f Co +xf Ni } [19], where f is the atomic scattering factor of Sm, Co, or Ni and the subscripts of s and f refer to the superlattice and fundamental reflections, respectively. Therefore, I s /I f is expressed as [2][3][4][5]8,9].…”

“…SmCo 5 polycrystalline [2][3][4][5][6][7] and epitaxial [8][9][10] films of (0001) orientation have been prepared on Cu [2][3][4][5]8,9], Cu/Ti [4,5], Ru/Cu/Ru [6], Ru [7,10], and Ru-Cr [7] underlayers. Most of the samples include a Cu underlayer.…”

Metastable Sm(Fe,Cu)5ordered alloy films formed on Cu(111) underlayers

“…SmCo 5 ordered alloy is a high K u material (1.1 × 10 8 erg/cm 3 ) with CuCu 5 -type crystal structure. SmCo 5 polycrystalline [1][2][3][4][5][6] and epitaxial [7][8][9] films with (0001) texture have been prepared by employing Cu [1-4, 8, 9], Cu/Ti [3,4], Ru/Cu/Ru [5], Ru [7], and RuCr [6] underlayers. Most of these films include Cu layers [1-5, 8, 9].…”

Formation of SmFe5(0001) ordered alloy thin films on Cu(111) single-crystal underlayers

“…For magnetic recording media applications, high K u magnetic thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy have been investigated. SmCo 5 polycrystalline [1][2][3][4] and SmCo 5 epitaxial [5][6][7] thin films with (0001) texture have been prepared by employing Cu(111) underlayers. Cu atom dissolution is known to stabilize the ordered phase formation through forming an alloy compound of Sm(Co,Cu) 5 [4,5,8].…”