Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in TbFeCo films studied by magnetic Compton scattering

Magnetic Compton profiles (MCPs) of TbFeCo amorphous films have been measured from a viewpoint of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). Analysis of anisotropies of the MCPs has shown that anisotropies of wave functions are small in both a PMA film and an isotropic magnetization (IM) film. Element selective analysis of the MCPs has shown that a Tb magnetic moment and a magnetic moment of 3d transition metal (TM) are coupled antiparallel in the PMA film. In the case the IM film, the magnetic moment of 3d TM tends to align toward the magnetic field but the Tb magnetic moment distributed to random orientations. The PMA natures reflect the magnetic structures of the Tb magnetic moment and the 3d TM magnetic moment in the TbFeCo films. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.