Tailoring perpendicular magnetic coupling by XMCD

The elemental perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constants of both elements of a 20 nm bcc Co88Mn12 alloy film grown on MgO(001) and capped with Al, have been determined. By fitting a Stoner-Wohlfarth astroid model to the measured Co and Mn L-3 XMCD peak intensities as a function of incidence photon angle with the magnetic field applied co-axially with the photon propagation direction, the elemental perpendicular anisotropy constants were found to be -6.46 x 10(5) J/m(3) and -6.68 x 10(5) J/m(3), respectively. The modeling of the Co and Mn data both result in nearly the same anisotropy constant as expected for a single alloy film. (C) 2017 Author(s).