Electron microscopy of amorphous GdCo alloy thin films
Abstract
Transmissicn electron microscopy and electron diffraction were used to study the structural changes in amorphous GdCo films with temperature while Lorentz microscopy was employed to reveal the related magnetic changes. Amorphous GdCo films in the composition range of 75 to 85 at% Co precipitate small face centered cubic Co crystals in an amorphous matrix after heating at 400°C. As deposited these films were found to contain stripe as well as in‐plane domain structures. Magnetic bubbles as small as 800 Å could be generated in as deposited amorphous as well as partially crystallized films. In films with less than 79 at% Co the magnetic compensation point was demonstrated by a reversible reversal of domain contrast with temperature. Copyright © 1973 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA