Magnetic and magneto-optical properties of Co–P films prepared by chemical deposition

Abstract Features in the formation of chemically deposited polycrystalline Co–P films with thicknesses of a few nanometers are established by analyzing film surface morphology and variation in the film magnetization. It is shown that in the thickness range below 30 nm the polar Kerr effect value θ K changes nonmonotonically and depends on a wavelength of the incident light. For the films thicker than 30 nm, this value depends weakly on both the thickness and the wavelength. These features in the θ K behavior are attributed to the Faraday effect, which is revealed at small thicknesses upon light reflection from the lower surface of a magnetic layer. It is found that the Faraday effect in the Co–P films exceeds that in the Co films by a factor of more than two. This effect is assumed to be caused by the presence of a Pd underlayer in the samples under study.