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Title: Magnetic properties of Fe films and Fe/Si/Fe trilayers grown on GaAs(001) and MgO(001) by ion-beam sputter epitaxy

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2197034· OSTI ID:20795803
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  1. Institut fuer Festkoerperfoschung, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, D-52425 Juelich (Germany) and Center of Nanoelectronic Systems for Information Technology (CNI), Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, D-52425 Juelich (Germany)

We grow monocrystalline Fe(001) films and Fe/Si/Fe(001) trilayers by ion-beam sputter epitaxy on GaAs(001) and MgO(001) substrates. Ion-beam sputtering parameters such as substrate presputtering time, substrate temperature, beam voltage, and target angle are optimized for 10-nm-thick Fe(001) films with respect to epitaxial growth and magnetic properties. In situ low-energy electron diffraction patterns confirm the epitaxial and monocrystalline nature of the sputtered films, surprisingly even on untreated and thus oxidized substrates. The magneto-optical Kerr effect and ferromagnetic resonance are employed to investigate the magnetic properties, and the structural properties are characterized by atomic force microscopy and x-ray reflectivity measurements. Using the optimized set of parameters that yields the best magnetic properties for single Fe films on GaAs, we deposit epitaxial Fe/Si/Fe(001) structures and observe antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling for epitaxially sputtered Fe/Si/Fe(001) trilayers on GaAs(001). The total coupling strength reaches values of up to 2 mJ/m{sup 2} at a Si thickness of 15 A.

OSTI ID:
20795803
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 99, Issue 9; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2197034; (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English