Abstract:
The magnetic anisotropy of strained epitaxial Co films deposited on strained Cu(111) on Si(110) and miscut Cu(111) are reported. First, a Cu(111) buffer layer with an in-plane strain is formed by epitaxial growth on Si(110). Co films deposited on the buffer layer develop a uniaxial anisotropy axis originating from the strain along the twofold axis of the Si(110) surface. The magnetic anisotropy of this film is compared to that of a Co film deposited on a miscut Cu(111) single crystal with uniaxial step-induced anisotropy in the Co layer. The measured hysteresis loops are compared to hysteresis loops simulated within a Stoner-Wolfarth model with a varying fraction of uniaxial and triaxial anisotropies. The measurements and the model are in qualitative agreement and reveal uniaxial and triaxial anisotropies of the same order of magnitude for both systems.
