Structure and magnetic properties of SmCo thin films on Cr/Ag/Si templates

SmCo thin films were grown onto highly oriented Cr/Ag/Si templates of various orientations and their properties compared to those of SmCo/Cr/glass thin film structures. No conclusive evidence of local crystalline order in SmCo films was observed by microscopy techniques. However, in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was observed for SmCo films grown onto Si~111! and ~110! templates, indicating interfacial effects, while no anisotropy was observed for SmCo on Si~100!. It is hypothesized that epitaxial growth of SmCo takes place on Cr~112! surfaces, but local crystalline order disappears with increasing SmCo thickness. Uniaxial SmCo films on Si~110! exhibit magnetic properties superior to those of SmCo on other Si templates. Process optimization could lead to SmCo media largely improved with respect to current SmCo films on glass. © 1999 American Institute of Physics. @S0021-8979~99!46108-0#