Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Magnetic and magneto-optical properties of transition metal films (Co, Ni) deposited on TbFeCo films were studied for application to magneto-optical recording. Individual films of Co or Ni showed in-plane remanent magnetization, although for Co a component of perpendicular anisotropy was found to increase for thinner films. Double layer films of Co on TbFeCo showed perpendicular remanent magnetization for Co thicknesses up to 25 Å. The effective exchange field acting on the Co layer was estimated from Kerr loops and was found to increase for thinner Co films. Double layer films of Ni on TbFeCo showed perpendicular remanent magnetization for Ni thicknesses up to 50 Å. Because of the high intrinsic magneto-optical activity of Co, the remanent Kerr rotation of Co on TbFeCo was found to be 50 % larger than for a single layer of TbFeCo with the same total thickness. No Kerr enhancement was found for Ni on TbFeCo.