Magnetic coupling in Co/face-centered-cubic Fe/Co sandwiches
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)
Ferromagnetic (FC) and antiferromagnetic coupling (AFC) of Co layers across a metastable fcc Fe spacer layer has been observed. Room-temperature-grown Fe on Co/Cu(100) was chosen as a spacer layer because it exhibits three distinct structural and magnetic phases depending on the thickness range: fct and ferromagnetic (region I), fcc and nonferromagnetic (region II), bcc and ferromagnetic (region III) (listed in order of increasing thickness). Co/Fe/Co sandwiches were grown on Cu(100) by molecular beam epitaxy with a base pressure of {approximately}2{times}10{sup {minus}10} Torr, and characterized by low-energy electron diffraction and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The magnetic properties were studied {ital in} {ital situ} using surface magneto-optic Kerr effect. Using a wedged Fe spacer layer, we investigated the magnetic coupling between Co films across many thicknesses of Fe. We found FC in region I, strong AFC at the boundary between regions I and II, and weak AFC in region II. We also studied the effect of just the Co overlayer on the metastable fcc Fe. We find that Co/Fe/Cu(100) differs qualitatively from Fe/Co/Cu(100). Finally, we find an oscillation in the AFC with a periodicity of {approximately}12 A by artificially increasing the thickness range of region II. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 279985
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-951101-; ISSN 0021-8979; TRN: 9608M0035
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 79, Issue 8; Conference: 40. conference on magnetism and magnetic materials, Philadelphia, PA (United States), 6-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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