Crystal Structure and Magnetic Properties of Epitaxial Cobalt Thin Films and Single-Crystal Nanostrips Grown on a Stepped Surface Si(111)-5.55×5.55-Cu with a Cu(111) Buffer Layer

Technological conditions under which a two-phase epitaxial thin film of Co is formed on a stepped surface of Si(111)-5.55×5.55-Cu with a buffer layer of Cu(111) and an ordered array of single-crystal nanostrips of hcp-Co with sharp interphase boundaries growing by self-organization were determined. The crystal structure of epitaxial thin films and single-crystal Co nanowires was deciphered by the diffraction methods. Magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial thin films and single-crystal nanostrips of Co was investigated. Using Kerr microscopy, the magnetization reversal modes in epitaxial thin films of Co were studied and discussed. The results presented shed light on the magnetic properties and domain structure depending on the crystal structure and geometry of magnetic nanomaterials promising for racetrack memory.