Largely enhanced energy density in epitaxial SmCo5/Fe/SmCo5 exchange spring trilayers

In order to enhance the energy density (BH)(max) as a key property for permanent magnet applications, exchanged-coupled trilayers of SmCo5/Fe/SmCo5 with fixed SmCo5 layer thicknesses (25 nm) and varying soft magnetic Fe film thickness have been epitaxially grown by pulsed laser deposition on Cr buffered MgO(110) substrates. The effect of the increasing soft layer thickness on the reversal mechanism and improved remanence due to the higher Fe-volume fraction was investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry in external fields up to 9 T. As the energy density strongly depends on the volume of the samples, emphasis is put on multilayer architecture investigation and reliable thickness determination. Concerning the latter all applied analysis methods as energy dispersive x-ray analysis, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirm energy densities with maximum values of 312 kJ/m(3) (39 MGOe) for a soft layer thickness of 12.6 nm. (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3596756]