Magnetic properties of obliquely evaporated Co thin films

The magnetic properties of Co thin films obliquely evaporated under silicon and glass substrates are investigated using alternating gradient field magnetometer (AGFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) techniques. The effects of the magnetic layer thickness and the deposition angle are studied. As results, it is found a decrease of the coercive field from 250 Oe, for t = 20 nm, to 95 Oe, for t = 400 nm, and a decrease of the anisotropy field from 1.6 kOe for 20 nm Co thick film, to 0.95 kOe for 200 nm Co thick film. An increase of these fields with the increase of the deposition angle is also found. The easy axis of the saturation magnetization lies in the film plane, whatever is the substrate nature. MFM images reveal well-defined stripe patterns, particularly for the thickest films, where the magnetocrystalline anisotropy is dominant. These results, and others, are presented and discussed.