Strong Influence of Tb Concentration on Domain Structure and Kerr Effect of TbxFe1−x Thin Films

Abstract

ABSTRACTAmorphous TbFe films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are attracting wide attention as promising candidates for erasable high - density Magneto - optical recording and thermomagnetic printing. TbxFe1−x thin films with 0 ≤ × ≤ 0.37 are deposited on glass substrates using r.f. sputtering. The Magnetic remanent domain structures are studied at room temperature using the longitudinal and polar Kerr effect. Samples with 0 ≤ × ≤ 0.23 exhibit magnetic in-plane anisotropy, while samples with 0.26 ≤ × ≤ 0.37 possess uniaxial anisotropy with easy axis perpendicular to the film plane. The remanent domain structures depend strongly on Tb content. High remanence and high coercivity are found for samples with 0.27 ≤ × ≤ 0.34 which is confirmed by additional vibrating sample Magnetometer (VSM) Measurements.