Fourfold Magnetic Anisotropy of CoPd Alloy, Obtained by Solid State Reactions in Epitaxal Pd/hcp-Сo and Pd/fcc-Co Bilayers

Abstract

The solid-state reaction between epitaxial hcp-Co (110) and fcc-Co (001) thin films and Pd layers was investigated at annealing temperatures between 250 and 650 °C using X-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements. No significant intermixing of the layers occurs at annealing temperatures below 400 °C. For the atomic composition 1Co:1Pd after annealing at 450 °C the disordered solid solution fcc-CoxPd1-x is formed on the Pd/hcp-Co (110) and Pd/fcc-Co (001) interfaces. Epitaxial relationships CoPd (110)〈-111〉 || MgO(001)〈100〉 and CoPd (001)〈100〉 || MgO(001)〈100〉 between the nucleated disordered phase CoPd and the substrate MgO(001) were determined for Pd/hcp-Co (110) and Pd/fcc-Co (001) bilayers, respectively. The first magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant of the disordered CoPd phase ​​K1CoPd = - (1.8 ± 0.4)·104 J/m3 for the (110) and (001) orientations was obtained.