Papers by Author: Naoto Go

Abstract: The effects of strain and interface roughness at the Co/Pd interface are investigated from the viewpoint of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) using the DV-Xα cluster model calculation method. It is found that spin projected occupation number ratio of magnetic quantum number |m| = 2 for the Co 3d electrons enhances by expanding the lattice within a close-packed plane of fcc stacking and, hence, enhances the PMA. Rough interface decreases the spin projected occupation number ratio of |m| = 2 and, hence, decreases the PMA. These results explain the PMA properties of Co/Pd multilayers fabricated using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique and RF sputtering techniques.

Abstract: We compare two Co/Pd multilayers with correspondingly smooth and rough interfaces. The first is a Co (1.5 nm)/Pd (2.6 nm) multilayer with a smooth interface deposited by the MBE technique, and the second is a Co (1.6 nm)/Pd (4.0 nm) multilayer with a rough interface deposited by the sputter technique. Both multilayers have almost the same perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy, 1.15 Merg/cc for the Co (1.5 nm)/Pd (2.6 nm) multilayer and 1.20 Merg/cc for the Co (1.6 nm)/Pd (4.0 nm) multilayer, respectively. The symmetry of the wave function, which is measured using the magnetic Compton profile, is almost the same for both multilayers. This suggests that the smooth interface controls the wave function and enhances the PMA energy even if the Co/Pd multilayer has a thinner Pd layer.