Pt/Co multilayers displaying perpendicular (out-of-plane) magnetic anisotropy and 100% perpendicular remanent magnetization are strong candidates as magnetic media for the next generation of magneto-optic recording devices. The magnetic coercivity, Hc, and uniaxial anisotropy energy, Ku, are two important materials parameters, among others, in the quest to achieving higher recording densities with acceptable signal to noise ratios (SNR). The relationship between Ku and Hc in these films is not a simple one since features such as grain boundaries, for example, can have a strong influence on Hc but affect Ku only in a secondary manner. In this regard grain boundary separation provides a way to minimize the grain-to-grain magnetic coupling which is known to result in larger coercivities and improved SNR as has been discussed extensively in the literature for conventional longitudinal recording media.We present here results from the deposition of two Pt/Co/Tb multilayers (A and B) which show significant differences in their coercive fields.
Semiconductor periodic structures for out-of-plane optical switching and Bragg-soliton excitation
