Tuning the magnetic anisotropy of CoFeB grown on flexible substrates

The magnetic properties of CoFeB thin films grown on flexible polyimide substrates were investigated using a magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometer. In-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was observed in the virgin state. The strain induced by bending the flexible substrate was applied on the sample to change the magnetic properties of CoFeB. The strain induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy changed linearly with the deformation by about 8.41 × 10⁴1 erg/cm³ at 1% of deformation. Our results prove the magnetic properties of CoFeB grown on flexible polyimide substrate can be tuned effectively by bending, which could be important for future flexible spintronics. (paper)