Characterizing magnetization reversal processes of GdFeCo film in the vicinity of the spin reorientation transition temperature

Abstract

An amorphous GdFeCo film has a spin reorientation transition (SRT) with the temperature varying from 230 K to 300 K. Its magnetization reversal processes have been characterized by the hysteresis loops and first-order reversal curve (FORC) in the vicinity of the SRT temperature. Along with the SRT from out-of-plane to in-plane, the total irreversible components decrease with increasing temperature from 84% (250 K) to 13% (300 K) and the reversal process gradually changes from the pinning-type dominated reversal (250 K) to the nucleation type reversal (270 K), and then to the uniform rotation (300 K). The identification of the magnetization reversal process nearby SRT is important to understand the magnetic properties in the magneto-optical recording materials GdFeCo.