Effects of swift heavy ion-irradiation on magnetic properties of Co-doped TiO2

Ferromagnetic Co-doped TiO2 thin films at room temperature have been synthesized by RF sputtering and ion-irradiated with 100 MeV Au ions. The surface roughness of the film increases with increasing Au-ion fluence. Kerr microscopy measurements at room temperature give isotropic hysteresis loop with negligible coercivity, which gets modified into in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy after anion fluence of 5x10(11) ions/cm(2). Further ion-irradiation reduced the coercivity of the film. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements have been performed in total electron yield mode, to investigate the effects of ion-irradiation on magnetic properties of the Co-doped TiO2 thin films. From the XMCD analysis, we observed that the total magnetic moment of Co atoms in case of as-deposited film is mu B. After the ion-irradiation it became mu Batroomtemperature.

Automated summary

The study synthesized ferromagnetic Co-doped TiO2 thin films at room temperature using RF sputtering and ion irradiation with 100 MeV Au ions. Increasing Au-ion fluence results in higher surface roughness of the film and alters its magnetic properties.