*Register * or Login: Password: Quick Search: within *21 of 72* *Physica B: Condensed Matter* Volume 248, Issues 1-4 , 15 June 1998, Pages 115-120 This Document *SummaryPlus* Full Text + Links PDF (288 K) Actions Cited By Save as Citation Alert E-mail Article Export Citation doi:10.1016/S0921-4526(98)00215-4 Copyright © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved Depth-dependent investigation of the distribution of the spin density waves in thin chromium films with surface X-ray and neutron scattering * * *P. Bödeker^a <#orfa>, A. Schreyer^a <#orfa>, P. Sonntag^a <#orfa>, C. Sutter^b <#orfb>, G. Grübel^b <#orfb>, R. Günther^c <#orfc> and H. Zabel^a <#orfa>^, ^* <#cor*> * ^a Fakultät für Physik und Astronomie, Institut für Experimentalphysik/Festkörperphysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D 44780 Bochum, Germany ^b European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, B.P. 220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex, France ^c Insitut Laue Langevin, B.P. 156, F-30842 Grenoble Cedex, France Available online 19 March 1999. Abstract For thin epitaxial Cr(0 0 1) films capped with a ferromagnetic Fe layer a transverse spin density wave (SDW) is expected which propagates in the out-of-plane direction with the Cr spins aligned parallel to the film plane in the direction of the Fe magnetization vector. Synchrotron and neutron scattering experiments show, however, that the SDW wave propagates parallel to the film plane with spins oriented out-of-plane. In addition, a commensurate antiferromagnetic phase is found. The re-orientation of the SDW is caused by a frustrated Fe–Cr exchange coupling introduced by monoatomic steps at the Fe–Cr interface. Complete re-orientation takes place over some distance close to the interface reducing severely the coherence length of the SDW structure. With the surface scattering method we have measured the coherence length of the SDW as a function of depth. Furthermore, we have investigated the role of the commensurate antiferromagnetic phase near the Fe–Cr interface. We find no scattering from a commensurate order, implying a layering of the two phases with the incommensurate phase on top. Article Outline 1. Introduction 2. Experimental 3. Experimental results and discussion 4. Summary Acknowledgements References (32K) Fig. 1. Schematics of different spin density wave structures in Cr films covered with a ferromagnetic Fe cap layer. In (a) the ideal structure is shown with a sharp interface between the ferromagnetic top layer and the antiferromagnetic Cr film. In this case a transverse spin density wave with propagation direction perpendicular to the film plane and magnetic moments parallel to the interface are expected. Monoatomic steps at the interface cause frustrations (b), which can be overcome via domain formation in the Fe layer (c), or Cr film (d). For thick Cr films the system reacts, however, by rotation of the spin density wave vector with propagation parallel to the film plane and Cr magnetic moments at right angles to the magnetization vector of the Fe cap layer (e). (14K) Fig. 2. Depth-dependent measurement of the in-plane CDW/SW satellite reflections around the Cr(0 2 0) Bragg-reflection from 3300 Å thick Cr film covered with a 20 Å thick Fe layer at /T/=10 K. For each scan the incident angle _i and the resulting penetration depth is given. (11K) Fig. 3. Neutron grazing incidence diffraction at the incommensurate (0.953 0 0) position of the Cr SDW at /T/=50 K. 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