Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and magneto-optical properties of evaporated (Fe,Co)-rare-earth amorphous binary alloy films

The dependence of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy on temperature and composition has been investigated for various (Fe,Co)–rare‐earth amorphous binary alloy films prepared by evaporation. The temperature dependence of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is proportional to the third power of the rare‐earth sublattice magnetization. The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy consists of two terms related to concentration. One is proportional to the rare‐earth content and the other to its square. Both terms can be explained by a large rare‐earth single‐ion anisotropy.