Magnetic microstructures in electrodeposited Fe(1 −x)Gax thin films (15 ≤x≤ 22 at.%)

We have investigated the magnetic behavior of Fe(1 − x)Gax (15 ≤ x ≤ 22 at.%) thin films grown by electrodeposition. The samples exhibit a <1 1 0 > texture although a rather small diffraction peak related to the (1 0 0) phase can also be observed. The layers do not present perpendicular magnetic anisotropy but magnetic hysteresis loops and magnetic force microscopy evidence a significant out-of-plane component for the magnetization. This component seems to increase for Ga contents around the 19 at.% value at which these alloys present a peak for the magnetostriction constant in the [1 0 0] direction. In this composition range, we have also observed an enhancement of the period of the magnetic structures. The experimental results indicate that the origin of the domain configuration is the presence of clusters with a (1 0 0) structural phase. The out-of-plane component of the magnetization seems to arise because of the compression of these nanoaggregates.