Crossed anisotropies in FeB/CoSiB bilayers induced by the bowed-substrate sputtering technique

Abstract

FeB/CoSiB bilayers were deposited onto bowed glass substrates using the radio frequency sputtering technique. On removing the bilayers from the sputtering chamber, a magnetoelastic anisotropy was induced due to the compressive stress developed when the substrates recovered their initial planar shape. The bulk magnetic behavior was investigated using magnetometry techniques over a wide temperature range (5–350 K). The surface magnetism was analyzed using room-temperature Kerr magnetometry. Due to the positive/negative magnetostrictive nature of each of the layers deposited, the induced anisotropies are found to be crossed. Evidence of crossed anisotropies is obtained from the surface hysteresis loops as well as from the low-temperature thermomagnetic behavior.