Surface magneto-optic Kerr effect study of Co thin films grown on double curved Cu(001)

Co thin films grown on a double curved Cu(001) were studied by the surface magneto-optic Kerr effect (SMOKE) technique. We found that the Co magnetization does not lie in the film surface, and that the competition between the magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the shape magnetic anisotropy tilts the Co magnetization off the film surface toward the step terrace plane. Because the polar SMOKE signal is much greater than the longitudinal signal, we are able to quantitatively analyze the small normal component of the magnetization. Our result shows that the tilting angle depends linearly on the vicinal angle for a Co film grown on stepped Cu(001) when the magnetization is perpendicular to the step edges.