Mechanism of induced magnetic anisotropy in metal-nonmetal granular films and their enhancement by a high field annealing

To understand the mechanism of large induced anisotropy in the Co-based nanogranular films, the microstructures of Co-(Pd)-AI-O and Co-Pd-Si-O films were studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and the effect of high field annealing on the microstructure and induced anisotropy field, H_k, were discussed. The films were prepared on glass substrates by Ar+O₂ reactive sputtering using different combinations and compositions of Co-based alloy targets. SAXS measurements were performed using the pinhole optics with Mo-K_α optimized for Fe- and Co-based magnetic materials. Enhancement of H_k was observed for films subjected to annealing under high magnetic fields.