Interfacial ferromagnetism in sputtered Pt/Gd/Pt system at room temperature

The magnetic properties of ultrathin Pt/Gd/Pt films prepared by magnetron sputtering were investigated. The Gd layer thickness varied from 1 to 15 nm. At room temperature, the samples exhibited a weak saturation magnetization, predominantly of interfacial origin. The measured interfacial magnetic moment was 14.5 μergG^-1cm^-2. The contribution of bulk Gd layers to the saturation magnetization was found to be negligible. The shape of the hysteresis loops did not depend on the Gd layer thickness. Crystallization into a face-centered cubic structure was observed only for the 15 nm Gd layer. The results of this study emphasize the importance of interfacial ferromagnetism in the Pt/Gd/Pt system.