MAGNETOSTRICTION OF AMORPHOUS GD1-XCOX RF SPUTTERED THIN-FILMS

A systematic investigation of room temperature magnetostriction in amorphous thin films of Gd1−xCox with × = 0.667 to 0.835, prepared by rf dc‐bias sputtering is performed. Both, the sign and magnitude of the magnetostriction are measured as a function of film composition in magnetic field using a cantilever‐capacitance method. Typical magnetostrictive hysteresis loops are presented and the compositional dependence of the saturation magnetostriction is shown. Over the whole composition range the measured magnetostriction is positive with the maximum value of λs = = 32 × 10−6 at × = 0.772 in the vicinity of compensation point (x = 0.769). Copyright © 1979 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA