Magnetic properties and microstructure of SmCo5 thin film with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

SmCo5 thin films with Cu seedlayer exhibiting perpendicular magnetic anisotropy were studied. The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy was enhanced using the Sm-Co layer formed by laminating Co and Sm sub-layers alternately. The Co/Sm laminate structure promoted the crystallization Of SmCo5 and the preferred orientation of its c-axis. The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy was further improved by suppressing the surface roughness of the Cu seedlayer. The SmCo5 thin film prepared in this study possesses an adequate corrosion resistance when judged by an electrochemical analysis. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.