Abstract
A magnetostatic model for shape anisotropy of an ultrathin film with surface roughness is presented. Apart from the usual volume anisotropy, an additional perpendicular surface anisotropy results from the surface roughness. For a continuous film, the shape anisotropy follows the famous 1/t behavior. By considering the correlation between the surfaces, the perpendicular surface anisotropy can be further increased. When the film thickness is less than a certain value, the magnetic layer may become a discontinuous or island-like structure and the shape anisotropy is proportionally lower with decreasing film thickness. With a nonzero quality factor (Q=Kc/2πMs2), a marked kink in the dependence Kefft on the film thickness gradually appears with increasing roughness. Observed results agree qualitatively with predictions based on the present model.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call