Epitaxial growth and characterization of (001) [NiFe/M]20 (M = Cu, CuPt and Pt) superlattices

We present optimization of [(15 Å) Ni80Fe20/(5 M]20 single crystal multilayers on (001) MgO substrates, with M being Cu, Cu50Pt50 and Pt. These superlattices were characterized by high resolution X-ray reflectivity (XRR) diffraction (XRD) as well polar mapping important planes. It is shown that cube epitaxial relationship can be obtained when depositing at substrate temperature 100 °C regardless the lattice mismatch (5% 14% for Cu Pt, respectively). At lower temperatures poly-crystalline while higher {111} planes appear ∼10° off normal to film plane. also strain increases, easy magnetization axis rotates towards direction previously was assumed harder, i.e. from [110] [100], eventually further increase in makes magnetic hysteresis loops isotropic Higher accompanied increased coercivity values. Thus, effect magnetocrystalline anisotropy much larger than what observed similar, but polycrystalline samples uniaxial (Kateb et al. 2021).