Enhancement of magneto-optical Kerr effect for Co ultra-thin film on Pt(1 1 1) with Ag buffer layer

The magnetic properties of Co/1 ML Ag/Pt(1 1 1) have been monitored by magneto-optical Kerr effect. We find that the magnetization easy axis changes its direction from the out-of-plane to the in-plane when dCo≥2 ML. In the annealing studies of 1 ML Co/1 ML Ag/Pt(1 1 1), the result shows that the enhancement in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is strongly related to the formation of Co-Pt alloy. The atomic exchange between Co and Ag cause the increase of the coercivity. The possible mechanisms of the enhancement in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and coercivity are discussed