Structural and soft-magnetic properties of Fe/CoNbZr and Fe/FeCrB multilayers

Abstract

The magnetic and structural properties of ion-beam-sputtered Fe/FeCrB and Fe/CoNbZr multilayers were studied as a function of the FeCrB and CoNbZr layer thicknesses. Good soft-magnetic properties (coercivity <60 A/m and permeability >1000) are obtained only when Fe grains are small, which requires, on the one hand, multilayers with Fe layer thicknesses below 10 nm and, on the other hand, FeCrB interlayers with thicknesses above 1 nm or CoNbZr interlayers with thicknesses above 3 nm. In this case interlayers are amorphous, which induces repeated nucleation of Fe grains. Only at FeCrB thicknesses of 1 nm are the interlayers crystalline due to interface mixing. This in contrast to CoNbZr interlayers which in addition grow epitaxially in a crystalline structure up to thicknesses of 3 nm. When interlayers are crystalline columnar growth of Fe results. As a consequence coercivity increases and permeability decreases.

Magnetization reversal of [Co/Pd] perpendicular magnetic thin film dot on (Bi,La)(Fe,Co)O3multiferroic thin film by applying electric field

“…Here, if the magnetic interaction between the multiferroic layer and metallic magnetic layer is only strong magneto-exchange interaction, the M-H curve of BLFCO/Co-Zr-Nb multilayer structure (red) is expected to be almost similar to the M-H curve of BLFCO film (blue). Because the magnetic domain size is large (several μm) and the domain wall width is wide (50 nm or more) in soft magnetic thin films [31], the direction of all magnetic moment in the thickness direction of the Co-Zr-Nb layer becomes uniform. And then, the direction of magnetic moment and magnetization of Co-Zr-Nb layer become same as the direction of magnetic moment and magnetization of the BLFCO layer by strong magnetoexchange interaction.…”

Structure evolution and magnetic properties of a Co/Ni/Fe multilayer film

“…2 in magnetic recording in the near future. 6 In the past decade, excellent soft magnetic properties have also been realized in some Fe-N-based films, [8][9][10] and some Fe/C, 11 FeC/NiFe, 12 Fe/Co-based alloy, 13,14 Fe/Co, 15 Fe/CoFe, 15 6 was deposited by a three-source magnetically filtered metal vapor vacuum arc ͑3-MF-MEVVA͒ system. The structural evolution and magnetic properties of this multilayer film during annealing processes were investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy ͑RBS͒, x-ray diffraction ͑XRD͒, vibrating sample magnetometer ͑VSM͒, and scanning atomic force microscopy ͑AFM͒ and magnetic force microscopy ͑MFM͒ experiments.…”