Studies of the magnetic anisotropies of Co(1100)/Cr(211) and Co(1120)/Cr(100) multilayers

Co(1100)/Cr(211) and Co(1120)/Cr(100) multilayers have been simultaneously prepared on MgO(110) and MgO(100) substrates, respectively, by molecular beam epitaxy. They show however distinct magnetic anisotropic behavior which coincides with their magneto-crystalline anisotropy. Magneto-optical Kerr effect shows the existence of a unique easy axis and strong in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in Co(1100)/Cr(211) multilayers, which is induced by the well-defined hexagonal crystalline of the Co(1100) layers. For Co(1120)/Cr(100) multilayers, on the other hand, an in-plane biaxial magnetic anisotropy is found due to the bicrystalline structure of the Co(1120) layers.