Magneto-optical properties of cobalt slanted columnar thin films

Magneto-optical properties of ferromagnetic slanted columnar thin films from cobalt made by electron-beam glancing angle deposition are reported. Magneto-optic ellipsometry in the polar Kerr effect configuration was employed to determine the field- and wavelength-dependent complex magneto-optic polarizability parameter within the spectral range from 0.74 to 3.0 eV. Kerr effect measurements and calculations reveal a strong azimuthal dependence for the incident linear polarization with peak Kerr rotation one order of magnitude larger than what has been reported for solid Co thin films.