Engineering magnetic responses in hcp cobalt thin films

We have analyzed the local and global magnetic properties of high quality grown (0001) hcp cobalt films of thicknesses varying from 50 to 500 nm. Local domain imaging by magnetic force microscopy together with magnetization measurements confirm the periodic multidomain structure with perpendicular orientation predicted by Kittel for such thicknesses and allow a full characterization of the film. The perpendicular and parallel saturation fields have been successfully modeled and fitted. The magnetic domain width of between a few tens of nanometers to a few hundreds of nanometers is described using a root h law, where h is the film thickness. Well characterized cobalt films appear to be good candidates for further investigations.