Buffer layer annealing effects on the magnetization reversal process in Pd/Co/Pd systems

•The buffer layer surface morphology changes upon annealing of the buffer layer.•The coercivity decreases while the saturation magnetization and the effective anisotropy increase with the annealing of the buffer layer.•The reversal process changes from a mixed nucleation and domain wall propagation process to one dominated by domain wall propagation when annealing the buffer layer.

We have investigated the effect of annealing the buffer layer on the magnetization reversal behavior in Pd/Co/Pd thin films using magneto-optical Kerr microscopy. It was found that annealing the buffer layer at 150 °C for 1 h decreases the coercivity and increases the saturation magnetization and the effective magnetic anisotropy constant. This study also shows that the annealing induces a change of the magnetization reversal from a mixed nucleation and domain wall propagation process to one dominated by domain wall propagation. This result demonstrates that the main effect of annealing the buffer layer is to decrease the domain wall pinning in the Co layer, favoring the domain wall propagation mode.