The Kerr and Faraday effects in Co-P films prepared by chemical deposition

The results from experimental studies of the magnetooptical Kerr and Faraday effects in Co-P films are described. It is shown that the angle of rotation of the polarization of light in the polar Kerr effect is a nonmonotonic function of film thickness. Maximum changes in the angle of rotation are observed in the wavelength region of incident radiation for thicknesses comparable to the skin layer. A qualitative model in which the observed effects are attributed to the multilayer structure of the samples under study is described.