1. Tailoring magnetic and transport anisotropies in Co100−x –Cux thin films through obliquely grown nano-sheets
- Author
-
Cristina Favieres, José Vergara, Vicente Madurga, Universidad Pública de Navarra. Departamento de Ciencias, Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa. INAMAT2 - Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics, Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa. Zientziak Saila, and Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
- Subjects
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) ,Pulsed laser deposition ,magnetic thin films ,nano-morphology ,magnetic anisotropy ,transport properties ,structural relaxation ,activation energy spectra ,pulsed laser deposition ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,Activation energy spectra ,Chemistry ,Magnetic thin films ,Chemistry (miscellaneous) ,Transport properties ,Materials Chemistry ,Structural relaxation ,QD1-999 ,Magnetic anisotropy ,Nano-morphology - Abstract
The magnetic and transport properties of pulsed laser-deposited Co100−x–Cux thin films were tailored through their nano-morphology and composition by controlling for the deposition geometry, namely normal or oblique deposition, and their Cu content. All films were composed of an amorphous Co matrix and a textured growth of Cu nanocrystals, whose presence and size d increased as x increased. For x = 50, all films were superparamagnetic, regardless of deposition geometry. The normally deposited films showed no in-plane magnetic anisotropy. On the contrary, controllable in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in both direction and magnitude was generated in the obliquely deposited films. The magnetic anisotropy field Hk remained constant for x = 0, 5 and 10, Hk ≈ 35 kAm−1, and decreased to 28 and 26 kAm−1 for x = 20 and 30, respectively. This anisotropy had a magnetostatic origin due to a tilted nano-sheet morphology. In the normally deposited films, the coercive field Hc increased when x increased, from 200 (x = 0) to 1100 Am−1 (x = 30). In contrast, in obliquely deposited films, Hc decreased from 1500 (x = 0) to 100 Am−1 (x = 30) as x increased. Activation energy spectra corresponding to structural relaxation phenomena in obliquely deposited films were obtained from transport property measurements. They revealed two peaks, which also depended on their nano-morphology and composition.
- Published
- 2022