Control of magnetic anisotropy by ion-beam-mixing method under external magnetic field

Abstract

Manipulation of magnetic anisotropy in ferromagnetic thin films was tried with ion-beam-mixing technique. Co/Pt multilayered films were deposited on Si(100) by electron beam evaporation and mixed with an energetic Ar+ ion-beam under external magnetic field which was parallel to the sample surface. The magnetic easy axis was observed from the ion-beam-mixed samples along the direction of applied external magnetic field. When the ion dose was less than a critical dose, a small peak was measured along the magnetic hard axis. The small peak disappeared after ion-beam-mixing with a dose higher than the critical one. (C) 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.