EFFECT OF ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS ON THE THERMAL RELAXATION OF MAGNETIC-ANISOTROPY IN AMORPHOUS TBCO FILMS

The effect of additional elements on the thermal relaxation of magnetic anisotropy in amorphous TbCo films was studied. Tb-Co amorphous films with various additional elements were prepared, and their perpendicular anisotropy was measured after annealing. It was found that the addition of B or C is effective in suppressing thermal relaxation. By the addition of these elements the relaxation time for the magnetic anisotropy could be extended by a factor of 10. A simple model is proposed in which these light element atoms fill holes in an amorphous structure, thus suppressing changes in the atomic arrangement.