Structural and morphological effect of Ti underlayer on Pt/Co/Pt magnetic ultra-thin film

Pt(x angstrom)/Co(5 angstrom)/Pt(10 angstrom) trilayer films with x = 5, 8, and 10 angstrom were deposited on naturally oxidized Si (111) x = 8 and 10 angstrom and also affected the growth mode of the trilayer film. The Pt particles preferably grew in the neighborhood of the Ti cluster, giving rise to a relatively smooth layer with a fcc fiber texture (111) structure. By contrast, the absence of a Ti underlayer led to a clustered, relatively rough, and randomly oriented nano-crystalline growth. Differences in the growth mode appeared as intensity loss in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra due to shadowing effects. Our results indicate that traceable amount of underlayer can change the magnetic anisotropy of the film by influencing the film growth. (C) 2021 The Japan Society of Applied Physics