Abstract
Co/Cu multilayers were electrodeposited on brass substrates in a single electrolyte, and their magnetic properties were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer. Samples with various nanometric layer thicknesses down to 0.2 nm were prepared using a coulomb controller and the relationship between the individual layer thickness and the magnetic properties was investigated. All samples showed in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The maximum coercivity value was obtained when the layer thickness was around 0.5-4 nm, and was almost five times higher than that for thick Co single-layer films. The saturation magnetic moment was strongly related to the Co content of the samples. However, for layer thicknesses of less than 10 nm, the Co content was smaller than that predicted by Faraday's law. Moreover, from a quantitative analysis of the samples, it was found that the mass magnetization of Co in the multilayers decreased as the layers became thinner. The highest squareness ratio of almost 0.9 was exhibited for a layer thickness of around 100 nm. Finally, out-of-plane hysteresis measurements revealed that the magnetic moment became more easily saturated as the layers became thinner.
