Role of interfaces in the biased composition of TbFe(Co) thin films

Abstract

Ferrimagnetic TbFe or TbFeCo amorphous alloy thin films have been grown by co-evaporation in ultra-high vacuum. They exhibit an out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy up to their Curie temperature with a nucleation and propagation reversal mechanism suitable for current induced domain wall motion. Rutherford back scattering experiments confirmed a fine control of the Tb depth-integrated composition within the evaporation process. However, a large set of experimental techniques were used to evidence an interface related contribution in such thin films as compared to much thicker samples. In particular, scanning transmission electron microscopy experiments evidence a depth dependent composition and perturbed top and bottom interfaces with preferential oxidation and diffusion of terbium. Despite of that, amorphous and homogeneous alloy film remains in a bulk-like part. The composition of that bulk-like part of the magnetic layer, labeled as effective composition, is biased when compared with the depth-integrated composition. The magnetic properties of the film are mostly dictated by this effective composition, which we show changes with different top and bottom interfaces.

arXiv comment9 figures

References in corpus (6)

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• Domain wall motion governed by the spin Hall effect
• Fast domain wall motion induced by antiferromagnetic spin dynamics at the angular momentum compensation temperature of ferrimagnets
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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Current-induced magnetization switching in CoTb amorphous single layer
• Spin-orbit coupling in single layer ferrimagnets: direct observation of spin-orbit torques and chiral spin textures
• Domain wall dynamics in antiferromagnetically-coupled double-lattice systems
• Precession-free domain wall dynamics in compensated ferrimagnets
• Spin-orbit torques and magnetization switching in Gd/Fe multilayers generated by current injection in NiCu alloys
• Magnetic moment orientation and in depth distribution of dysprosium near the surface of DyCo${}_{4.6}$ thin films determined by the analysis of their X ray circularly polarized absorption Dy $M_5$ spectra