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Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 4175–4178 (1996)

[Issue 22 – 27 May 1996 ]

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Atomic-Scale Observations of Alloying at the Cr-Fe(001) Interface

A. Davies, Joseph A. Stroscio, D. T. Pierce, and R. J. Celotta

Electron Physics Group, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899

While much progress has been made using epitaxial growth of Fe/Cr/Fe structures to study magnetic exchange coupling, a number of anomalies have arisen in studies of this model system. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to investigate Cr growth on Fe(001), we have identified a potential structural cause of these anomalies. We show that Cr growth under layer-by-layer conditions on Fe(001) leads to the formation of a Cr-Fe alloy. We exploit a Cr and Fe surface state to identify single Cr impurities in Fe and evaluate the alloy concentrations with increasing Cr coverage.

©1996 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v76/p4175
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.4175
PACS: 61.16.Ch, 68.55.-a, 75.70.Cn

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References

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