Phys. Rev. B 51, 12563-12578 (1995)

                                                                                   [Issue 18 - May 1995 ]

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Perpendicular anisotropy and spin reorientation in epitaxial Fe/Cu3Au(100) thin films

       F. Baudelet 
       Laboratoire de Métallurgie Physique & Science des Matériaux, F-54042 Nancy Cédex, France

       M.-T. Lin, W. Kuch, K. Meinel, B. Choi, C. M. Schneider, and J. Kirschner 
       Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik, Weinberg 2, D-06120 Halle, Germany

Received 26 January 1995

The in situ magneto-optical Kerr effect in both the polar and longitudinal geometry is studied for fcc Fe films on Cu3Au(100) between 1.7 and 7.5 atomic layers thick. In films with Fe coverages less than 4 monolayers (ML)
we observe a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at temperatures below 300 K. At T=160 K the films exhibit a continuous spin reorientation transition from a perpendicular to an in-plane magnetization in a narrow thickness
range between 3.5 and 4 ML. According to the thickness dependence of the Kerr signal the individual layers order ferromagnetically, in contrast to the findings in the Fe/Cu(100) system. Distinct changes in the magnetic
properties as a function of coverage may be related to different states of the film structure and morphology.

©1995 The American Physical Society

URL: http://publish.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v51/p12563
PACS: 75.70.Ak, 75.50.Bb, 75.30.Gw, 68.55.Jk