Electronic structure and magnetic properties of hard/soft multilayers

Magnetic properties of FePt/Fe multilayers of alternating hard and soft magnetic regions are calculated using linear-muffin-tin-orbitals and Green function methods. The changes in the magnetic properties of hard and soft phases with their relative thicknesses are studied via self-consistent calculations of local magnetic moments, effective exchange interaction parameters and the anisotropy energy. The calculations show that this system is a promising permanent-magnet candidate with large-energy product, uniaxial anisotropy, and high Curie temperature. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.