Modifying the magnetic characteristics of ferrimagnetic TbFeCo by adjusting the thickness of the L11-ordered CoPt

This study investigates structural and magnetic properties of 200 nm TbFeCo ferrimagnetic thin films. These films were formed by depositing L11-ordered CoPt buffer layers on Si(100) substrates, followed by (111)-textured Pt layers. The TbFeCo films were produced at room temperature by magnetron sputtering, and their characteristics were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The above-mentioned techniques were used to figure out the films’ crystallographic structure, magnetic properties, and the surface characteristics. XRD analysis showed that TbFeCo films without the CoPt layer were only crystalline in the Pt(111) and Pt(222) directions. Conversely, films that were buffered with a CoPt layer developed the L11-ordered CoPt phase, especially in the CoPt(222) and CoPt(444) directions. This issue was linked to an increase in the CoPt unit cell parameter, indicating bulk-like crystallinity, particularly in the 20 nm CoPt layer, while the TbFeCo layer remained amorphous. The FIB-SEM showed that the layers were all gathered the thickness of 20 nm for Pt, 10 or 20 nm for CoPt, and 200 nm for TbFeCo with homogeneous distributed the elements in the Tb46Fe41Co13 composition matrix. Magnetic characterization from VSM measurements ranged from 5 to 350 K and revealed significant differences based on CoPt thickness. At 300 K, the coercive field (HC) got stronger as the thickness of the CoPt layer risen up. For 0, 10, and 20 nm CoPt, the HC was 2.8, 3.3, and 4.1 kOe, and the MS values were about 205, 229, and 234 emu/cm³, respectively. The L11-ordered CoPt underlayer facilitated strong exchange coupling at the TbFeCo/CoPt interface, which is responsible for these improvements. AFM and MFM measurements indicated that surface roughness, and hence magnetic pinning sites, increased dramatically with CoPt thickness. These pinning sites inhibited magnetic domain wall motion, increasing HC values in the out-of-plane direction. This kind of magnetic stability leads to excellent qualities, like higher HC and better thermal stability up to 350 K, that make these films interesting for use in spintronics and data storage, where HC and thermal resilience are important.