Transitional metal trilayers and films investigated using Brillouin Light Scattering and the Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect
Transitional metal trilayers and films investigated using Brillouin Light Scattering and the Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect
Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) and the Magneto Optic Kerr effect (MOKE) have been used to investigate the magnetic properties of transition metal trilayers and films. Studies included both single Co films and exchange coupled trilayers consisting of two magnetic Co layers separated by a non-magnetic interlayer. All films and trilayers were MBE grown on a sapphire (112̅;0) substrate with Nb(110) and then Cu(111) buffer layers. Two trilayers were studied, Co/Cu/Co and Co/Au/Co, where the spacer layer was wedged to give a continuous range of thicknesses. Both fixed thickness and wedged Co films were investigated and were grown with either Co/Au or Co/Cu interfaces to allow comparison with the Co layers in the trilayer samples. MOKE was performed in several geometries to give a comprehensive measurement of the magnetic behaviour and several novel improvements to state of the art Brillouin scattering equipment have allowed extremely small variations in spinwave frequency to be detected. BLS allows the interlayer exchange coupling to be determined for the trilayers even when the coupling is ferromagnetic and the combination of BLS and MOKE provide a powerful approach to the investigation of the anisotropic behaviour of these systems.
Both trilayers show falling interlayer exchange with increasing interlayer thickness but whereas this decay is smooth and exponential in the Co/Cu/Co trilayer it was seen to possess oscillatory behaviour in the Co/Au/Co sample. BLS has revealed 6-fold magneto-crystalline in-plane anisotropy corresponding to fcc(111) or hexagonal in-plane growth and provides a sensitive test of sample quality. The combination of vector MOKE magnetometry and BLS has allowed a distinction to be made between the processes of magnetisation reversal and underlying anisotropy. The comparison of MOKE and BLS determinations of perpendicular anisotropy have allowed reliable methods of anisotropy measurement to be identified with the result that the anisotropy can be accurately resolved into both interface and bulk components.
University of Southampton
1996
Addis, Matthew James
(1996)
Transitional metal trilayers and films investigated using Brillouin Light Scattering and the Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) and the Magneto Optic Kerr effect (MOKE) have been used to investigate the magnetic properties of transition metal trilayers and films. Studies included both single Co films and exchange coupled trilayers consisting of two magnetic Co layers separated by a non-magnetic interlayer. All films and trilayers were MBE grown on a sapphire (112̅;0) substrate with Nb(110) and then Cu(111) buffer layers. Two trilayers were studied, Co/Cu/Co and Co/Au/Co, where the spacer layer was wedged to give a continuous range of thicknesses. Both fixed thickness and wedged Co films were investigated and were grown with either Co/Au or Co/Cu interfaces to allow comparison with the Co layers in the trilayer samples. MOKE was performed in several geometries to give a comprehensive measurement of the magnetic behaviour and several novel improvements to state of the art Brillouin scattering equipment have allowed extremely small variations in spinwave frequency to be detected. BLS allows the interlayer exchange coupling to be determined for the trilayers even when the coupling is ferromagnetic and the combination of BLS and MOKE provide a powerful approach to the investigation of the anisotropic behaviour of these systems.
Both trilayers show falling interlayer exchange with increasing interlayer thickness but whereas this decay is smooth and exponential in the Co/Cu/Co trilayer it was seen to possess oscillatory behaviour in the Co/Au/Co sample. BLS has revealed 6-fold magneto-crystalline in-plane anisotropy corresponding to fcc(111) or hexagonal in-plane growth and provides a sensitive test of sample quality. The combination of vector MOKE magnetometry and BLS has allowed a distinction to be made between the processes of magnetisation reversal and underlying anisotropy. The comparison of MOKE and BLS determinations of perpendicular anisotropy have allowed reliable methods of anisotropy measurement to be identified with the result that the anisotropy can be accurately resolved into both interface and bulk components.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 1996
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 459987
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/459987
PURE UUID: ce366e52-7a73-49db-8977-44aaa484b027
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 17:32
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 17:32
Export record
Contributors
Author:
Matthew James Addis
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics