Determination of the magnetic anisotropy constant of Cu/Fe/Si02/Si by a magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometer

The magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometry technique is proposed to determine the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy （UMA） constant Ku. The magnetic properties of Cu/Fe/SiO2/Si grown by dc magnetron sputtering were investigated. The in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was probed by the magneto-optical Kerr effect （MOKE）. The value of UMA, Ku = 2.5 x 103 J/m3, was simulated from the field dependence of ac susceptibility along the hard axis according to the Stoner-Wohlfarth （S-W） model, which is consistent with Ku = 2.7~ 103 J/m3 calculated from the magnetic hysteresis loops. Our results show that the magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometry can be employed to determine the magnetic anisotropy constant owing to its high sensitivity.