A study on magnetization reversal mechanisms of CoCr films

Magnetization reversal mechanisms of RF diode sputtered CoCr films were investigated by measuring the angular dependence of the coercivity and the rotational hysteresis loss parameter. The films were deposited at 5 to 20 mTorr Ar pressure over a thickness range of 800-28,000A. The angular variation of coercivity for the transition layer of a CoCr film indicated reversal by domain wall motion. Films thicker than 2 microns exhibited a quite different angular dependence of coercivity that may be due to a multidomain state, closure, or stripe domains. The magnetization reversal mechanism of CoCr films between 0.3 and 1.5 microns thick was found to be controlled by coherent or incoherent rotation. These results agreed with measurements of the rotational loss parameter. In addition, the magnetization reversal mechanisms of RF sputtered CoCr films were found to be independent of the dispersion of their crystallographic orientation.