Effect of reduced size on perpendicular anisotropy in nanostructured CoPt 3(1 1 1) films

Abstract

Thin films of CoPt 3(1 1 1) grown on WSe 2(0 0 0 1) substrates consist of dense ensembles of single-crystal nanostructures with lateral sizes smaller than 10 nm. For films thinner than 6 nm, an easy magnetization axis perpendicular to the film plane with 100% remanence is observed for co-deposition below 150°C, while for co-deposition at higher temperatures the easy axis switches in the plane with the occurrence of L1 2 chemical ordering. For thicker deposits ( ∼9 nm ), the magnetic behaviour of the continuous films is retrieved. The magnetic domain structures investigated by magnetic force microscope are also reported.