Magnetic anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction of Pd/Co/Ta thin films

In this work, we experimentally studied the structure and magnetic properties of epitaxially grown ultrathin Pd/Co/Ta films. We have studied the effect of Ta on the structural and magnetic properties of Pd/Co epitaxial films. The deposition of a Ta layer on an epitaxial Co layer leads to a decrease in the saturation magnetization of the film due to strong magnetic disordering and the formation of a dead magnetic layer with a thickness of about 0.5 nm. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is observed for Co layer thicknesses less than 1.3 nm. The volume and surface components of magnetic anisotropy are determined. Additionally, the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) is observed in epitaxial films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, with a DMI field value of about 30 mT.