Estimation of magnetocrystalline anisotropy of cobalt films deposited at oblique incidence

Abstract

The magnetocrystalline anisotropy of obliquely deposited cobalt films prepared at a wide substrate temperature T s range (from 94 to 473 K) was estimated on the basis of the distribution function of the c-axis which could be obtained in the process of analyzing the texture. The incidence angle was 60° and the pressure during deposition was 4.0 × 10 −3 Pa. The estimation of anisotropy was made in both the film plane and the incidence plane of the vapor beam. In both cases the maximum value of the anisotropy field is the order of 10 5 A/m. With respect to the in-plane anisotropy field the anisotropy field determined by the torque measurement was separated into the shape anisotropy part due to the columnar structure and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy part due to the texture. From the shape anisotropy part it is possible to judge the bundle formation of columnar grains along the direction perpendicular to the incidence plane in the T s range below about 280 K.