Abstract
We have been investigating the magnetic properties and the microstructure of Co/polymer composite thin films produced by a simultaneous vapor deposition using two evaporation sources of cobalt and polyethylene terephtalate. It was confirmed that the composite thin films having a large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy were deposited, when the incidence angle of the polymer beam was approximately 80 degree. For the composite thin films, the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy K1 and the coercivity Hc⊥ measured in the direction normal to the film plane, reached about 5 x105 erg/cc and 1KOe, respectively. The microstructure of the composite thin films consists of columns that Co and CoO fine particles and polymer are mixed. It was observed that the Co fine particles were orderly arranged in a certain direction in columns, and also the <001> axis of hcp-Co was oriented toward the incidence direction of the Co beam Further, the bundles of the columns formed in the direction perpendicular to the incidence plane of the polymer beam were also observed.
