Anisotropy coupling in patterned thin films with mixed uniaxial anisotropies

Anisotropy coupling in thin films with mixed induced and shape anisotropies is investigated. A 200-nm-thick Co-Fe-Pd-B thin film with a large induced anisotropy of 57 Oe is fabricated and then patterned into micron-sized cells to provide shape anisotropy, whose strength has a similar magnitude to that of the induced anisotropy for enhancing the anisotropy coupling. The angles between the two mixed anisotropies considered are 0°, 90°, and 110°. Hysteresis loops measured under in-plane magnetic fields along various directions indicate no anisotropy coupling behaviour for all the three angles examined in this study.