Controlling the intralayer structure of Co Pt superlattices

The effect of the surface quality of MgO (1 1 1) substrates seeded by a 3 nm thick Pt layer on the intralayer and interlayer structure of Co/Pt (1 1 1) superlattices was investigated. The superlattices were grown by DC magnetron sputtering. Pre-growth processing of the MgO shows that intensive polishing using a specific H(2)O/SiO(2) suspension prior to growth is mandatory for obtaining long-range structural coherence in the films. The comparison between superlattices grown on re-polished and as-supplied substrates shows that the substrate treatment enhances the crystalline in-plane orientation and suppresses nhc;ach twin formation. Magnetization measurements were performed using the magnetooptical Kerr effect. Smaller Kerr rotation and lower coercive fields were observed in the highly ordered samples. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.