Abstract
Artificial superlattice of Co-(Pr, Nd) was fabricated on glass substrates using the electron beam evaporation technique. Magnetic properties such as (i) the dependence of saturation magnetization, Ms, on temperature, (ii) the dependence of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant, K⊥, on temperature and (iii) the dependence of polar Kerr rotation angle, θk, on wavelength were systematically investigated. For Co/Pr, Co/Nd artificial superlattice, rare earth atoms within 25Å of the interface were found to be coupled ferromagnetically with Co atoms at 77K. K⊥ increases with decreasing artificial period, D, for both Co/Pr and Co/Nd artificial superlattice. The maximum values of K⊥ at 77K are 10×106 erg/cm3 and 4×106 erg/cm3 for Co/Pr and Co/Nd artificial superlattice, respectively. The wavelength where the minimum θk is observed shifts from 0.45μm to 0.65μm with decreasing artificial period.
