Magnetic properties of alloy films prepared by fast pulse-plating

Abstract

We show that Cu x Ni 1− x alloy films and Cu x Ni 1− x /Cu y Ni 1− y multilayers of arbitrary composition may be grown by electrodepositing well-defined sub-monolayer quantities of Cu and Ni in alternation. The magnetic properties of the Cu x Ni 1− x films provide evidence of Ni clustering in alloys prepared by this method. The dependence of the clustering on the Ni deposition potential suggests that a form of self-organization takes place. For Cu x Ni 1− x /Cu y Ni 1− y multilayers, up to third-order superlattice satellite peaks are seen in high-angle X-ray diffraction experiments.