Structure and Magnetic Properties of Electrodeposition Co on n-GaAs (001)

Published

September 19, 2003

Author(s)

A X. Ford, John E. Bonevich, Robert D. McMichael, Mark D. Vaudin, Thomas P. Moffat

Abstract

Co thin films have been electrodeposited on n-type (001) GaAs. The structure and texture of the films were investigated using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) while the magnetic properties were examined using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Structural evolution was found to be a function of the growth rate. A strong hcp-Co (1120) {0001}// GaAs (001)[110] texture was observed for films grown at lower deposition rates. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the hcp-Co lattice summed over the two in-plane variants results in four-fold anisotropic in-plane magnetization. Films grown at faster rates have decreased magnetic anuisotropy due to increased structural dispersion. TEM analysis of several films (8.5 nm to 15 nm) revealed a thin bcc-Co layer between the GaAs(001) and the hcp-Co (1120) overlayer. The bcc layer formed with a cube-on-cube relationship to the GaAs (001) substrate. The structural evolution is similar to that reported for films grwon by other methods, such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), although the thicknesses at which the various magnetic transitions occur differ significantly, most likely due to the different growth rates employed.

Citation

Journal of the Electrochemical Society

Volume

150

Issue

# 11

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

cobalt, electrodeposition, GaAs, magnetic properties, transmission microscopy, x-ray diffraction

Citation

Ford, A. , Bonevich, J. , McMichael, R. , Vaudin, M. and Moffat, T. (2003), Structure and Magnetic Properties of Electrodeposition Co on n-GaAs (001), Journal of the Electrochemical Society (Accessed October 10, 2025)