Induced anisotropy in (FeCo)–Zr–O granular thin films

Effects of oxygen on the microstructure and the magnetic properties of (FeCo)–Zr–O thin films deposited by reactive sputtering are investigated in this paper. It is found that the Fe–Co nanocrystals, dispersed in insulator matrix, tend to form column-shaped nanocrystal assembly with long axis parallel to the deposition direction. Decay of anisotropy induced by the deposition field is observed.