Selective Modification of Magnetic Properties of Co1 /Au/Co2/Au Multilayers by He Ion Bombardment

M. Urbaniak a, F. Stobiecki a, D. Engel b, B. Szymański a and A. Ehresmann b a Institute of Molecular Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, M. Smoluchowskiego 17, 60-179 Poznań, Poland b Department of Physics and Center for Interdisciplinary Nanostructure Science, and Technology (CINSaT), University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, D-34132 Kassel, Germany

Full Text PDF

We show that in a [Co1/Au/Co2/Au]4 multilayer, where Co1(2) denote Co layers of different thicknesses, a 10 keV He-ion bombardment with a 6×1014 ions cm-2 dose leads to changes of the easy direction from out-of-plane to in-plane in the thicker Co layers (tCo2 = 1 nm) while the perpendicular anisotropy of the thinner Co layers (tCo1 = 0.6 nm) is preserved. The investigated multilayers were obtained by sputtering and the thickness of the Au layers (tAu = 4 nm) ensured that a direct coupling between the Co layers (through pinholes) and Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida-like interactions were negligible.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.115.326 PACS numbers: 61.80.Jh, 75.47.De, 75.70.Cn