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Phys. Rev. B 53, 3256–3262 (1996)

[Issue 6 – 1 February 1996 ]

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Reorientational transition of the magnetic anisotropy in Co/Cr(001) superlattices

Th. Zeidler, F. Schreiber, and H. Zabel

Institut für Experimentalphysik/Festkörperphysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany

W. Donner

Universität Wuppertal, Fachbereich 8, D-42097 Wuppertal, Germany

N. Metoki

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki-ken 319-11, Japan

We have measured the magnetic anisotropy of Co/Cr(001) superlattices as a function of the Co thickness using magneto-optical methods and a torsion magnetometer. The samples grown by molecular-beam epitaxy exhibit a reorientational transition of the easy axis from in-plane for large Co thicknesses (t_Co >= 15 Å) to out-of-plane for 10 Å <= t_Co <= 15 Å and back again to the in-plane orientation for t_Co <= 10 Å . We provide evidence that this reorientational transition of the magnetization direction is due to a sign change of the interface anisotropy constant induced by a concomitant structural phase transition of the Co layers from hcp to bcc with decreasing Co layer thickness.

©1996 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v53/p3256
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.53.3256
PACS: 75.25.+z, 75.30.Gw, 75.70.Cn

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