Magnetic properties versus interface density in rigid-exchange-coupled amorphous multilayers with induced uniaxial anisotropy

We demonstrate the possibility to tune the saturation magnetization, coercivity, and uniaxial in-plane anisotropy constant in amorphous bilayers and multilayers of Co[Formula: see text](Al[Formula: see text]Zr[Formula: see text])[Formula: see text] and Sm[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text] through the interface density. From magnetometry and x-ray circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements, we conclude that the easy-axis coercivity [Formula: see text] increases four times when the number of bilayer repetitions, [Formula: see text], increases from 1 to 10 within a constant total sample thickness of 20 nm. At the same time, the anisotropy constant [Formula: see text] also increases by a factor four, whereas the saturation magnetization [Formula: see text] decreases slightly. The Co spin and orbital moments, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], are found to be approximately constant within the sample series. The average total Co moment is only 0.8–0.9 [Formula: see text]/atom, but the [Formula: see text] ratio is strongly enhanced compared to pure Co. Magnetization curves extracted from XMCD measurements show that the Co and Sm moments are ferromagnetically coupled for all samples.