Magneto-Optical Spectroscopy of Nanocomposites (CoFeZr)_x(Al₂O₃)_100-x

We present results of magneto-optical investigations of(CoFeZr)(x)(Al2O3)(100-x) film nanocomposites in transverse Kerr effect (TKE) geometry in the spectral range 0.5-4.0eV and magnetic field up to 3.0kOe. Nanocomposites were deposited onto a glass-ceramic substrate by ion-beam sputtering. The TKE response at room temperature strongly depends on the wavelength of light, applied magnetic field H and the volume metallic fraction. From the analysis of the field dependences of TKE at different wavelengths, it follows that in the as-deposited samples, the interaction between nanoparticles at x<30at.% is small and the nanocomposite is an ensemble of superparamagnetic particles; as x increases to 32at.%, a superspinglass-type state arises, then, in the vicinity of 34at.%, along with individual superparamagnetic particles, superferromagnetic regions appear. Long-range ferromagnetic order arises at concentrations x less than the percolation threshold for conductivity x(per)=42.6at.%. In the presence of two different magnetic states in the samples, TKE is not proportional to the magnetization. Both the field dependences at near-infrared region and the spectral dependences of TKE change significantly after annealing of the samples, while the changes in the field dependences of the magnetization are almost imperceptibly.