Magnetic characteristics of CoPd and FePd antidot arrays on nanoperforated Al2O3 templates

• CoPd and FePd antidots were fabricated on porous anodic aluminum oxide templates.
• CoPd antidot arrays have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.
• FePd antidot arrays revealed isotropic magnetic behavior.
• The complex morphology of nanoporous template resulted in a complex magnetic domains image.

Hard magnetic antidot arrays show promising results in context of designing of percolated perpendicular media. In this work the technology of magnetic FePd and CoPd antidot arrays fabrication is presented and correlation between surface morphology, structure and magnetic properties is discussed.CoPd and FePd antidot arrays were fabricated by deposition of Co/Pd and Fe/Pd multilayers (MLs) on porous anodic aluminum oxide templates with bowl-shape cell structure with inclined intercellular regions. FePd ordered L10 structure was obtained by successive vacuum annealing at elevated temperatures (530 °C) and confirmed by XRD analysis. Systematic analysis of magnetization curves evidenced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of CoPd antidot arrays, while FePd antidot arrays revealed isotropic magnetic anisotropy with increased out-of-plane magnetic contribution. MFM images of antidots showed more complicated contrast, with alternating magnetic dots oriented parallel and antiparallel to tip magnetization moment.