SWITCHING PROCESS IN HARD CO-PT FILMS

The switching process of electrodeposited Co-rich Co–Pt thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is investigated by out-of-plane angle-dependent hysteresis loop measurements. The switching field angular dependence is discussed in terms of basic reversal mechanisms. A model is proposed, based on a two-step switching process, to evaluate the variations of the intensity and orientation of the internal field as the modulus of external magnetic field is varied at each angle φ. Several experimentally observed salient features are well-understood, indicating that switching is due to inverse domain propagation