Co ultra-thin films on Pd(111): Magnetic anisotropy of the Co/Pd interface Article uri icon

abstract

  • The magnetic anisotropy of Co ultra-thin films on Pd(111) is studied in the framework of a d-electron tight-binding Hamiltonian which includes hopping, exchange, and spin-orbit interactions on the same electronic level. We perform self-consistent calculations from which the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) is obtained in a non-perturvative fashion as difference between electronic energies. The magneto-anisotropic behavior is determined for several ultra-thin film systems: Pdn/Com/Pd, where n and m refer to the number of Pd and Co layers, respectively. In agreement with experiment we found for n = 0 a strong perpendicular anisotropy for m = 1, 2, 3 whereas for m = 4 an in-plane direction of the magnetization is obtained. Pd1/Co4/Pd only shows perpendicular anisotropy when relaxation effects are taken into account. The spin and orbital magnetic moments of Com and those induced at the Pd atoms at the interface are analized as a function of film thickness. Copyright © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

publication date

  • 1997-01-01