Cobalt-Based Hard Magnets, Thin Films and Multilayers

Co-based magnetic materials including bulk, thin film and magnetic multilayers have been studied. The purpose of the first part of this work is to study a Co -based transition metal alloy to be processed to result in significant enhancement of its magnetic properties (coercivity, magnetization, and energy product) in the absence rare earths. CoZr(Hf)BSi alloys have been studied. Rapidly quenched Co_ {78}Zr_{16}B_3Si_3 and Co_{76}Hf_ {76}B_3Si_3 showed the highest coercivity (6.7 kOe and 6.5 kOe respectively). This is the highest room temperature coercivity reported in a non -rare-earth containing magnet up to now. This system has excellent thermal stability. Co-based thin film alloys were also studied and we obtain coercivities as high as 700 Oe for sputtered thin films. This lies in between the maximum value obtained for as-cast bulk alloys (50 Oe) and rapidly quenched alloys (6.7 kOe). Multilayers were studied with the objective of determining the effect of interfaces on the magnetic properties of Co alloys. Multilayers of the form Co/Cu, Co_{95}B _5/Cu and Co/Al were studied and the interface anisotropy was found to favor a magnetization perpendicular to the film. Very thin magnetic layers led to very small coercivities since the size of magnetic domains was restricted. We also noted some interesting layer-layer magnetic interactions. Finally some unusual magnetization reversal behavior was noted in which the magnetic moment goes to zero and reverses before the applied field goes to zero.