Tunable In-Plane Anisotropy in Amorphous Sm-Co Films Grown on (011)-Oriented Single-Crystal Substrates

Amorphous Sm-Co films with uniaxial in-plane anisotropy have great potential for application in information-storage media and spintronic materials. The most effective method to produce uniaxial inplane anisotropy is to apply an in-plane magnetic field during deposition. However, this method inevitably requires more complex equipment. Here, we report a new way to produce uniaxial in-plane anisotropy by growing amorphous Sm-Co films onto (011)-cut single-crystal substrates in the absence of an external magnetic field. The tunable anisotropy constant, k(A), is demonstrated with variation in the lattice parameter of the substrates. A k(A) value as high as about 3.3 x 10(4) J.m(-3) was obtained in the amorphous Sm-Co film grown on a LaAlO3(011) substrate. Detailed analysis indicated that the preferential seeding and growth of ferromagnetic (FM) domains caused by the anisotropic strain of the substrates, along with the formed Sm-Co, Co-Co directional pair ordering, exert a substantial effect. This work provides a new way to obtain in-plane anisotropy in amorphous Sm-Co films. (C) 2020 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company