Umadevi, K and Bysakh, Sandip and Chelvane, J Arout and Kamat, S V and Jayalakshmi, V (2016) Tailoring magnetic anisotropy in Tb-Fe-Co thin films by rapid thermal annealing. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 663. pp. 430-435. ISSN 0925-8388

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Abstract

In this work, we explore the possibility of tailoring of magnetic anisotropy in Tb-Fe-Co thin films by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of as-deposited films for various time intervals. Rapid thermal annealing of 200 nm thick Tb21Fe62Co17 was carried out at 550 degrees C under vacuum for different annealing times viz., 2, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 min. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies indicated that the as-deposited films had an amorphous structure with fine nano-sized columnar morphology. Upon RTA nucleation of Fe-Co nano-crystals embedded in amorphous Tb-Fe-Co matrix could be evidenced. It was found that while the as-deposited films exhibited a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, increasing annealing time resulted in an increasing in-plane magnetic anisotropy component and a decreasing perpendicular anisotropy component resulting in different tilted angle magnetic anisotropies. The decrease in PMA with increasing annealing time was also evidenced from the decrease in out-of-plane (OOP) coercivity and squareness ratio. With increasing annealing time, the PMA was found to decrease due to the nucleation of Fe-Co nano-crystalline phase which induces an in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The results of present study indicate that magnetic anisotropy either along the in-plane or OOP or tilted at the desired angle can be realized in a single magnetic layer by tuning the annealing time during RTA. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Engineering Materials
Divisions:	UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User:	Bidhan Chaudhuri
Date Deposited:	08 Nov 2016 11:01
Last Modified:	08 Nov 2016 11:01
URI:	http://cgcri.csircentral.net/id/eprint/3686

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