Spatial modulation of in-plane magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial Co(111) films grown on macrostep-bunched Si(111)

We compared magnetic properties of epitaxial Co(111) films grown on microstep- and macrostep-bunched vicinal Si(111) substrates. A surface of the microstep-bunched Si(111) substrate represents regular array of step-bunches with height of 1.7 nm divided from each other by flat microterraces with a width of 34 nm. A surface of the macrostep-bunched Si(111) substrate is constituted by macrostep bunches with a height of 75–85 nm divided by atomically flat macroterraces. The average sum width of a macrostep bunch and a macroterrace is 2.3 μm. While in-plane magnetic anisotropy was spatially uniform in Co(111) films grown on the microstep-bunched Si(111), periodic macromodulation of the topography of the Si(111) substrate induced spatial modulation of in-plane magnetic anisotropy in Co(111) film grown on the macrostep-bunched Si(111) surface. The energy of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the areas of the Co(111) film deposited on the Si(111) macrosteps was higher more than by the order of magnitude than the energy of the magnetic anisotropy in the areas grown on macroterraces. Magnetization reversal in the areas with different energy of the magnetic anisotropy occurred in different magnetic fields. We showed the possibility of obtaining high density of domain walls in Co(111) film grown on the macrostep-bunched Si(111) by tuning the spatial step density of the Si(111) substrate.