MAGNETIC AND STRUCTURAL-PROPERTIES OF (111)PD CO/AG, PD/CO AND AG/CO/PD SUPERLATTICES GROWN BY MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXY/

The magnetic anisotropy and related magnetic and structural properties of (111)Pd/Co/Ag, Pd/Co and Ag/Co/Pd superlattices grown on reconstru cted 7 x 7-(111)Si substrates with Ag seed layers by molecular beam ep itaxy were investigated. The effective anisotropy energy K-eff of Pd/C o/Ag superlattices is found to be similar to K-eff an average of K-eff values of Pd/Co and Ag/Co superlattices with the same Co layer thickn ess. This feature is similar to that in Pt/Co and Pt/Co/Ag superlattic e systems reported separately. The results suggest that the origins of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the Pd/Co system are differe nt from those in the Au/Co system investigated earlier, in which the d ifference between the Au/Co and Au/Co/Ag superlattices is small in K-e ff value. The K-eff value of a Ag/Co/Pd superlattice is much smaller t han the K-eff value for the same Co layer thickness, because of the mo re disordered structures of the Ag/Co/Pd superlattices. The dependence of the remanence of the Pd/Co and Pd/Co/Ag superlattices on the Co la yer thickness is presented.