CoCr/Pt multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy and texture-controlled coercivity

Co 1−x Cr x /Pt multilayers have been deposited by magnetron sputtering onto different seed layers with simultaneous gradients in both Co1−xCrx thickness and composition x. These gradients make it possible to perform magnetic and structural measurements for different thicknesses and compositions on one single wafer. Hence, the depositions are not sensitive to variations in background conditions such as temperature, pressure, or contaminants that could otherwise vary between runs. The study concluded that the maximum for the coercivity of the multilayers is, in this case, dependent on the microstructure, namely the degree of c-axis orientation in the films. Specifically, the coercivity maximum coincides with the maximum of the x-ray diffraction peak full-width at-half-maximum for the two separate cases shown.