Magnetization processes in ultrathin Au/Co/Au films grown on a bifacial Mo(110)/Mo(540) single crystal

We studied magnetization reversal processes and magnetic anisotropy in ultrathin Au/Co/Au films deposited on a bifacial Mo(110)/(540) single crystal. The influence of the Co thickness and miscut angle on the spin reorientation from out-of-plane into in-plane magnetization were investigated by means of the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). In the case of Co grown on a vicinal Au/Mo(540) substrate, the perpendicular magnetization component was found throughout the 1-8 nm Co thickness range. The canted orientation of magnetization was deduced from vectorial MOKE magnetometry. The out-of-plane switching field, which is 160 Oe for the perpendicular magnetization, increases to about 960 Oe as observed at 8 nm Co thickness on the vicinal part. The experimental data are discussed taking into account both uniaxial out-of-plane and in-plane magnetic anisotropy energy terms. The results indicate the possibility of tuning the perpendicular magnetization component with the use of vicinal substrates, and are important from both a surface physics and magnetic memory media point of view. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.