title: The relationship between interface structure, conformality and perpendicular anisotropy in CoPd multilayers.
abstract: The relationship between the interface structure and perpendicular anisotropy in sputtered Co/Pd multilayers has been investigated using grazing incidence x-ray scattering and vibrating sample magnetometry. Using fits to a self-affine fractal model of the interfaces, the variation in in-plane correlation length, fractal parameter and conformality has been determined as a function of the number of repeats in the Co/Pd bilayers. As the number of interfaces rises, the roughness becomes predominantly non-conformal and the in-plane length scale associated with the roughness increases as a power law with multilayer thickness. It is suggested that the loss of conformality, characterized by a relatively short out-of-plane correlation length, may be the cause of the reduction in anisotropy energy per interface observed for high numbers of bilayer repeats. There is a weak association between fractal parameter and interface anisotropy; a reduction in the fractal dimension of the interface appears to result in a higher surface anisotropy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
authors.forename: A S H
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rozatian
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Marrows
authors.forename: T P A
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Hase
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Tanner