Ga+ ion irradiation-induced changes in magnetic anisotropy of a Pt/Co/Pt thin film studied by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Abstract

Ga+ ion irradiation-induced changes in magnetic anisotropy of a Pt/Co/Pt ultrathin film are investigated by means of the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) technique. A large difference in the Co orbital moment is observed between out-of-plane and in-plane directions of the film at moderate Ga+ fluences of ∼1-2×1014 ions/cm2, which corresponds to the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), while further increased fluences reduce the orbital moment difference, resulting in in-plane magnetization. In contrast, at much higher Ga+ fluences of ∼5×1015 ions/cm2, at which PMA is observed again, no significant difference is found in the orbital moment of Co between out-of-plane and in-plane directions. Different origins are thus suggested for the appearance of PMA induced by the irradiation between moderate and high Ga+ fluences. © 2013 Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences.