Magnetic characterization of oblique angle deposited Co/CoO on gold nanoparticles

TL;DR

This study investigates how patterned substrates influence the magnetic properties of obliquely deposited Co/CoO films, revealing that nanoparticle patterns can control the magnetic easy axis orientation using advanced magnetometry techniques.

Contribution

It demonstrates that nanoparticle-patterned substrates can manipulate the magnetic easy axis in oblique Co/CoO films, combining SQUID magnetometry and neutron reflectometry for detailed analysis.

Findings

Nanoparticle patterns enable control of magnetic easy axis orientation.

Oblique deposition combined with patterned substrates affects magnetic hysteresis.

Advanced characterization techniques disentangle magnetic contributions.

Abstract

The influence of a patterned substrate on obliquely deposited, exchange biased Co/CoO films was studied. It was found that substrates decorated with nanoparticle patterns provide the option to manipulate the orientation of the magnetic easy axis in obliquely deposited thin films. The complementary methods of SQUID magnetometry and polarized neutron reflectometry were used to disentangle the different contributions to the magnetic hysteresis of such complex magnetic systems.