Observation of magnetization distribution in a correlated spin glass system : amorphous Tb-Co magnetic films

The magnetization distribution in sputtered random-anisotropy TbCo 3 amorphous films was observed by transmission electron microscopy at room, low and high temperature. In the as-grown films, about 8 x 10 -8 m thick, a disordered structure on a scale of 10-7 m, consistent with the Imry and Ma picture for a correlated spin glass, is observed at room temperature. This structure is unaffected by cooling but is irreversibly and progressively simplified on heating. Domain wall contrast is reversed, with no change in wall positions, when going through the compensation temperature of about 270 K. In thinned fragments, the domain structure is qualitatively different, due to terbium loss near the surfaces.