Thickness Dependent Magnetic Properties of Polycrystalline Nickel Thin Films

Abstract

Magnetization directions of ferromagnetic ultra-tlfin films can be altered by increasing the thickness. The transition between in-plane and out-of-plane axi s is induced by the competition among the magnetostatic, magnetocrystalline and magnetoclastic anisotropy energies. Such an effect has attracted more interest recently, due to the applications in magneto-optical recording technologies. In this study, We have investigated by magneto-optical Kerr effect the magnetization properties of magnetron sputtered nickel thin films.