Large enhancement of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and high annealing stability by Pt insertion layer in (Co/Ni)-based multilayers

We have investigated the influence of ultrathin Pt insertion layers on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and annealing stability of Ta/Pt/(Co/Ni)×3/Co/Pt/Ta multilayered films. When the Pt layers were inserted at the Co/Ni interfaces, the PMA of the multilayered films decreased monotonically as the thickness of the Pt insertion layer (tPt) was increased. However, when the Pt layers were inserted at the Ni/Co interfaces, the PMA increased from 1.39 × 106 to 3.5 × 106 erg/cm3 as tPt increased from 0 to 10 Å. Moreover, the multilayered film containing 6-Å-thick Pt insertion layers that inserted at the Ni/Co interfaces exhibited the highest annealing stability for PMA, which was up to temperature of 480 °C. We hypothesize that the introduced Pt/Co interfaces, due to the Pt insertion layers, are responsible for the enhanced PMA and high annealing stability. This study is particularly important for perpendicularly magnetized spintronic devices that require high PMA and high annealing stability.