Article Collection: View Collection | Help (Click on the to add an article.)

Show References

[ Previous / Next Abstract | Issue Table of Contents | Bottom of Page ]

Journal of Applied Physics -- April 15, 1988 -- Volume 63, Issue 8, pp. 3863-3868

Large surface anisotropies in ultrathin films of bcc and fcc Fe(001) (invited)

B. Heinrich, K. B. Urquhart, J. R. Dutcher, S. T. Purcell, J. F. Cochran, and A. S. Arrott

Surface Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada

D. A. Steigerwald and W. F. Egelhoff, Jr.

Surface Science Division, National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899

Large uniaxial anisotropies associated with interfaces are observed for ultrathin films (3-28 ML) of bcc Fe(001) grown epitaxially on Ag(001) single-crystal substrates and for epitaxial sandwiches of fcc Fe(001) grown with three layers of Fe using Cu as substrate and coverlayers. The uniaxial anisotropy is well described by a pseudosurface anisotropy term as theoretically predicted, yet that theory also predicts large in-plane anisotropies that are not observed. Adequate treatment of spin-orbit coupling in magnetic theories remains a challenge. Comparisons of ultrathin films of bcc Fe(001) on Ag(001) with different coverlayers of Ag or Au show subtle differences in magnetic behavior as studied by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and Brillouin light scattering (BLS). The FMR measurements were carried out at 9.6, 36.6, and 73 GHz microwave frequencies. The BLS measurements were performed using a six-pass Fabry–Perot interferometer. The power of the techniques of molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) for producing well-characterized interfaces is stressed. Growths at 140 K are compared with those at 300 K to show the limited role of interdiffusion. Oscillations in the intensity of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) are exploited in the characterization of growth. Comparison of the properties of films grown on perfect iron whisker surfaces with results for mosaic single-crystal substrates show that, while the former are much to be preferred for growth studies, the latter are really adequate for magnetic studies. Journal of Applied Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics.

DOI: 10.1063/1.340589
PACS: 75.70.Ak, 68.55.Eg        Additional Information

  The American Institute of Physics is a member of CrossRef.

---

Published by the American Institute of Physics Copyright © American Institute of Physics