Multi-state perpendicular remanence in Co/Pd multilayers

Co/Pd multilayers deposited on Si (111) by electron gun evaporation were in vestigated. The magnetization measurements indicated out-of-plane easy magn etization direction for the samples with small Co layer thickness. The norm al-to-the-plane remanent magnetization curves of the sample with Co layer t hickness of 4 show four well-defined levels depending on the field strength and direction. Each of these levels can be obtained by applying a broad ra nge of fields making them easily accessible, and the high field remanence l evels are lower in intensity than the low field ones. This seems to be an e ffect of competing magnetic anisotropies of different nature present in the samples. The coercive and switching fields, the remanence and all others t echnological requirements may eventually be tailored for a proper high-dens ity recording media. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.