On the nature of asymetry of nucleation centers activity in ultrathin Co films and Co/Pt multilayers

Published

January 14, 2008

Author(s)

Yu L. Iunin, Yury P. Kabanov, Valerian I. Nikitenko, X M. Cheng, Alexander J. Shapiro, C L. Chien, Robert D. Shull

Abstract

Magnetization reversal in ultrathin Pt(10 nm)/Co(0.6 nm)/Pt(3 nm) magnetic films and Pt(10 nm)/[Co(d)/Pt(1 nm)]_n}/ Pt(2 nm) (d = 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 nm, n = 2, 4) multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy has been studied using Kerr microscopy. These materials demonstrate unusual effects of activity asymmetry of nucleation centers and domain wall motion. the field dpendences of these effects have been studied and the asymmetry of the domain wall nucleation has been found to be suppressed by application of a magnetic field much stronger than the sample coercivity. The asymmetry comes back after several reversals at a lower field magnitude. The asymmetry of domain wall velocity decreases abruptly and vanishes as the reversal field increases in low coercivity ultrathin Co films. The effect recovers as in the reversal field value decreases. A role of the Co/Pt interface defects and nonlinear spin excitations in these phenomena is discussed.

Citation

Advanced Functional Materials

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

Kerr microscopy, magnetization reversal, perpendicular anisotropy

Citation

Iunin, Y. , Kabanov, Y. , Nikitenko, V. , Cheng, X. , Shapiro, A. , Chien, C. and Shull, R. (2008), On the nature of asymetry of nucleation centers activity in ultrathin Co films and Co/Pt multilayers, Advanced Functional Materials, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=854024 (Accessed May 3, 2025)