Magnetic Anisotropy in Thermally Evaporated Gd‐Co

Abstract

The x‐ray diffraction spectrum of thermally evaporated a‐$\mathrm{GdCo}$ is reported and found to be similar to that of bias sputter deposited a‐$\mathrm{GdCo}$ which possesses an easy axis of magnetization normal to the film plane. The thermally evaporated a‐$\mathrm{GdCo}$ films are shown to possess magnetic anisotropy with ${\mathrm{K}}_{\mathrm{u}}{\text{\hspace{0.17em}∼\hspace{0.17em}−\hspace{0.17em}5\hspace{0.17em}×\hspace{0.17em}10}}^5\hspace{0.17em}{\mathrm{erg/cm}}^3$ (hard axis normal to the film plane). Off axis atomic incidence experiments show that the hard axis K_u can be tilted toward the direction of incidence. No significant easy axis of magnetic anisotropy in the columnar growth direction was found. The results are consistent with the origin of the magnetic anisotropy being magneto‐structural (cf., magneto‐crystalline) in thermally evaporated a‐$\mathrm{GdCo}$ .