The magnetization reversal of Fe films on Ag submicrometer pyramidal islands

The magnetization reversal of Fe films under the influence of Ag layer is studied. The AFM and MFM images show that the Fe films which deposited on the sidewalls of Ag islands act as domain nucleation site that results in the decreasing of perpendicular coercivity as the pyramidal islands form. The measurements on hysteresis loop showed that Fe films grown on Ag pyramidal islands have a stronger perpendicular magnetic anisotropy than the films without Ag underlayer. These results indicate that the magnetization reversal of Fe films can be realized by the perpendicular anisotropy of Fe films that deposited on the sidewall of Ag pyramids.