MAGNETOSTRICTION AND ANISOTROPY OF AMORPHOUS GD-CO RF SPUTTERED THIN-FILMS

The measurements of magnetostriction and anisotropy of r.f. sputtered amorphous Gd1-xCox thin films are reported. Both were measured in the range of composition x=0.667-0.835 using cantilever-capacitance method. The perpendicular anisotropy Ku and saturation magnetostriction λs reach extremal values in the vicinity of the compensation composition (for x=0.77), although Ku shows a minimum of ∼1×105erg/cm3, whereas (3/2) λs shows a maximum of ∼47×10-6. The experimental results are analysed within the frame of pair ordering model. A mechanism explaining the compositional dependence of magnetostriction is proposed.