Development of a tensile-stress-induced anisotropy in amorphous magnetic thin films

Magnetic anisotropy was induced in positive magnetostrictive Fe80B20 and ne gative magnetostrictive Co75Si15B10 thin films by developing a tensile stre ss within the samples. The films were grown on the concave surfaces of mech anically bowed glass substrates. On releasing the substrates from the subst rate holders, a tensile stress was developed within the samples that modifi ed the domain structure. As a result of it, a magnetic easy axis parallel t o the direction of the stress was induced in FeB sample whereas in CoSiB sa mple the induced easy axis was perpendicular to the direction of the develo ped stress. To produce magnetic multilayers with crossed anisotropy, FeB/Co SiB bilayers and FeB/Cu/CoSiB trilayers were grown on bowed substrates. The study of magnetic properties of the multilayers indicates the development of crossed anisotropy within them, particularly when the magnetic layers ar e separated by a nonmagnetic Cu layer. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.