Tailoring magnetism in CoNi films with perpendicular anisotropy by ion irradiation

This paper reports on the influence of ion irradiation on the magnetic properties of Co/Ni multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). This material is a very promising candidate for ultrahigh density spintronic applications since it exhibits high polarization and low damping parameters. We show that PMA can be tailored in a controlled way by using uniform He+ ion irradiation or focused Ga+ ion beam. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.