Magnetic and structural properties of sputter-deposited Co-Sm bilayers

The multilayers have attracted considerable attention since the discovery of Giant Magneto Resistance (GMR) effects. The study in the area have focused on the systems with a strong anti ferromagnetic coupling between the two adjacent ferromagnetic layers. The antiferromagnetic coupling is concerned with the thickness of the interlayers between ferromagnetic layers and with the structures near the interfaces of the layers. In this work magnetic and structural properties of sputter-deposited Co-Sm bilayers have been investigated. The formation of the intermetallic compounds have been observed in the bilayers. The saturation magnetization of Co layers has largely changed with the thickness of both Co and Sm layers. The dependence of magnetization of the Co layers on the thickness of Co and Sm layers is shown. The magnetization of Co layers decreases rapidly with increasing the Sm layer thickness. The effect of decreasing magnetization becomes more enhanced, as the Co layer thickness goes thinner. The effect is not limited to the area near the interfaces of the layers, and it reaches a depth of more than one thousand angstroms in Co layers. The investigations have been made for the bilayers in the layer thickness range of 1000 - 3000 A.