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The effect of roughness in reverse magnetization process of [Co/Cu]2 multilayers

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Abstract

The effect on the magnetic properties of multilayer films is investigated by changing the roughness variation due to the thickness of the non-magnetic layer film. The increase in roughness due to the thickness of the nonmagnetic layer affects the ease with which the magnetic moments of the two layers can be reversed, which is reflected as the magnitude of the demagnetizing field in the hysteresis loop. We have investigated the interface structure and magnetic properties of [Co/Cu]2 multilayers. Anomalous hysteresis "steps" were observed during the demagnetization process, and the reverse magnetic field became larger with the thickness of the nonmagnetic layer. Time-of-flight polarized neutron reflectometry and atomic force microscope are used as structural probes to explore the interface roughness and surface roughness in [Co/Cu]2 multilayers, respectively. The law of increasing surface roughness with thickness is verified. It will help to achieve material modification and artificial adjustment of the demagnetization process through a relatively easy preparation method for the development of complex devices. Moreover, the preparation of the hundred nanometer thickness films by sputtering technology is advantageous, which can be used in large quantities for industrial production.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the NSF of China (Grant No. 12335018), and the Funded by the Project of State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology (Grant No. 21fksy27, 22fksy26).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, China

    Yue Zhang, Yan Zhang, Jiaxing Liu, Bo Dai & Yong Ren

  2. Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621999, China

    Xinxi Li

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  1. Yue Zhang
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  3. Yan Zhang
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Contributions

YZ carried out experiments, analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript. XL analyzed data. YZ, JL investigated, and BD supervised the project. YR was responsible for sourcing, supervising, and editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yong Ren.

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Zhang, Y., Li, X., Zhang, Y. et al. The effect of roughness in reverse magnetization process of [Co/Cu]2 multilayers. Appl. Phys. A 130, 96 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-023-07273-x

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