Microstructural and magnetic characterization of Co/CN films fabricated by nanolamination

Abstract Nanolamination combined with appropriate annealing treatment has been used to produce high coercivity, heterogeneous Co–CN films with nanostructures ranging from classical granular to an interconnected network. Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction have been used to quantify the nanostructural evolution and resulting grain size distributions. As-deposited nanolaminates with initial layer thicknesses of 1.3 and 2.7 nm are essentially superparamagnetic. Annealing leads to coercivities of >1100 Oe. Viscosity and irreversible susceptibility measurements have been used to calculate activation volumes of ∼(18 nm) 3 , in good agreement with grain size analysis. Measurements of the time dependence of coercivity have been used to calculate the thermal stability factor, KV / kT ∼480, which is independent of initial geometry. Effective first-order uniaxial anisotropy constants determined using calculated activation volumes are at maximum ∼75% of the value expected for bulk α-Co. This result is consistent with Co present in both α and β phases, as confirmed by electron diffraction.