Open AccessThickness induced uniaxial anisotropy and unexpected four-fold symmetry in Co/SiO2/Si films
Author(s) -
Mingzhu Xue,
Shilei Ding,
Rui Wu,
Liang Zha,
Guanyi Qiao,
Honglin Du,
Jingzhi Han,
Yingchang Yang,
Chenglin Wang,
Jinbo Yang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
aip advances
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 58
ISSN - 2158-3226
DOI - 10.1063/1.5006504
Subject(s) - materials science , anisotropy , pulsed laser deposition , coercivity , grain size , condensed matter physics , magnetic anisotropy , thin film , crystallography , optics , composite material , nanotechnology , magnetization , chemistry , magnetic field , physics , quantum mechanics
Co films with thickness ranging from 20 to 160 nm have been fabricated on SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition method (PLD). It was found that that the Co crystal tends to have a structure of bulk hcp Co with the increase of the Co film thickness, and the coercivity of the Co film decreases with increasing film thickness due to the change of the grain size. A uniaxial anisotropy was found in Co films with thickness less than 120 nm, while the Co films with thickness more than 120 nm show an unexpected four-fold anisotropy which is ascribed to the existence of two types (directions) of strongly exchange-coupled hcp Co grains.
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