Tuning Perpendicular Magnetic Properties of Sputtered Rare-Earth Transition Metal GdFeCo Alloy Films

A series of rare-earth transition metal GdFeCo films are fabricated by sputtering a composite target. The effects of sputtering parameters on perpendicular magnetic properties of GdFeCo films are systematically investigated. Typical perpendicular anisotropy of the order of 105 erg/cm3 is witnessed. Tunable changes in Gd-to-FeCo ratio in the films are demonstrated by manipulating sputtering parameters including sputtering power, working pressure, and gas flow rate. Magnetic compensation is shown to be achieved in the alloy films by changing sputtering parameters and film thickness, where the lowest net magnetization and the largest coercivity are simultaneously demonstrated. A wide range of variation of perpendicular magnetic properties can be easily realized by fabricating GdFeCo films with the composition across magnetic compensation point. Our results provide a low-cost and time-saving way for the fabrication of GdFeCo alloy films with desired properties.