Determination of the thickness of pulsed laser deposited cylindrical Co films by their magnetoelastic effects

Soft magnetic Co films, with a grain size of 1–2nm and thickness between ≈1.3 and tens of nanometers were pulsed laser deposited on rotating metallic wire substrates, conferring them cylindrical geometry. These films showed a magnetostrictive property, making it possible to measure and study the magnetoelastic inverse Wiedemann effect, (IWE) of the longitudinal magnetic flux in the film as a function of the circular applied magnetic field, Φz−Hϕ. The IWE of these films was explained by the assumption of magnetic wall nucleation and magnetization rotation processes. This explanation allowed us to establish the relation of Φz with the spontaneous magnetization Ms and with the film's thickness. Then using the measured Φz and the known value of Ms: (1) we determine the thickness of the film by means of an inductive method; (2) we analyze the inaccuracy of the determined film thickness; (3) we achieve the limit of tfilm,min=1.3±0.3nm in thickness for measuring the films’ magnetic properties.