  We studied the effect of magnetic doping with Gd atoms on the superconducting
properties of amorphous Mo70Ge30 films. We observed that in uniform films
deposited on amorphous Ge, the pair-breaking strength per impurity strongly
decreases with film thickness initially and saturates at a finite value in
films with thickness below the spin-orbit scattering length. The variation is
likely caused by surface induced magnetic anisotropy and is consistent with the
fermionic mechanism of superconductivity suppression. In thin films deposited
on SiN the pair-breaking strength becomes zero. Possible reasons for this
anomalous response are discussed. The morphological distinctions between the
films of the two types were identified using atomic force microscopy with a
carbon nanotube tip.
