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Title: Domain wall pinning in sputtered soft amorphous magnetic thin films

Journal Article · · J. Appl. Phys.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.340935· OSTI ID:6977269

Domain wall pinning in sputtered soft amorphous thin films has been observed similar to that seen in rapidly quenched amorphous ribbon. The pinning is induced by annealing samples in their nonsaturated state. The easy-axis hysteresis loop of such a sample shows a characteristic stop in the change of magnetization at a nonsaturated magnetization value for both an increase and decrease of applied field, corresponding to the field value when the domain walls are pinned. An abrupt increase of magnetization is observed when the pinning is overcome by a large enough applied field, called wall pinning force (H/sub p/). Sputtered amorphous Fe/sub 5.85/Co/sub 72.15/Mo/sub 2/B/sub 15/Si/sub 5/ thin films with coercivity of about 0.06 Oe and thickness of about 6500 A gave a wall pinning force as high as 0.6 Oe. The general mechanism of the wall pinning was confirmed by domain viewing. For different annealing temperatures, the wall pinning force increases as the annealing duration increases and approaches a maximum value. A linear relation between the maximum value of wall pinning force and the field-induced magnetic anisotropy field was obtained.

Research Organization:
Magnetics Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
OSTI ID:
6977269
Journal Information:
J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Vol. 63:8
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English