ANISOTROPY AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF Co/Pd MULTILAYER THIN FILMS

Abstract

In this paper, magnetic and structural properties as well as the interface morphology of a series of sputtered Co/Pd multilayer thin films have been investigated. Interface morphology has been studied from grazing incidence specular and off-specular X-ray measurements using synchrotron radiation. High-angle X-ray diffraction measurements indicate a modulated structure which is strongly textured grown along (111) direction. The relation between intensity and the number of bilayers for different peaks of high-angle X-ray diffraction measurements has been investigated and compared to the grazing incidence X-ray scattering results. Vibrating sample magnetometer measurements have shown perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for all samples with Keff reaching highest value for those samples with highest fractal parameter.