MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF SPUTTERED Gd-Co ALLOY FILMS

The Gd-Co films reported here were prepared by radio frequency sputtering and have been proved to have uniaxial anisotropy perpendicular to the film plane. Electron diffraction results show that these films are amorphous. Also, electron probe analyses show that these films are of uniform composition. Magnetic domains have been observed and hysteresis loops measured, using Kerr's apparatus. It was found that with suitable sputtering conditions, at remanence such films exhibit stripe domains, which, when acted on by a suitable external field perpendicular to the film plane, can transform into bubble domains.