Correlation between perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and microstructure in TbFeCo and TbFeCo–SiO₂films

Abstract

Both TbFeCo and TbFeCo–SiO2 films were prepared by magnetron sputtering. At a film thickness of less than 75 nm, TbFeCo–SiO2 films have coercivity and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy larger than those of TbFeCo films and vice versa at a film thickness of more than 75 nm. This phenomenon can be attributed to enhancement in the degree of preferred orientation of TbFeCo grains. For these two series of samples, the magnetization reversal process is accompanied by the combination of pinned domain wall motion (DWM) and domain rotation. The weak pinning of DWM cannot be excluded.