Abstract
ABSTRACTWe have studied the structural origins of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in amorphous Tb-Fe thin films by employing high energy x-ray scattering. The as-deposited films show a clear structural anisotropy, with a preference for Fe-Tb near-neighbors to align in the out-of-plane direction. Upon annealing, the magnetic anisotropy energy drops significantly, and we see a corresponding reduction in the structural anisotropy. The radial distribution functions indicate that the number of Fe-Tb near-neighbors increases in the in-plane direction, but does not change in the out-of-plane direction. Therefore, the distribution of Fe-Tb near-neighbors becomes more uniform upon annealing. We conclude that the observed reduction in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy is a result of this change in structure.
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