X-ray magnetic-circular-dichroism study of Ni/Fe (001) multilayers
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701 (United States)
The structure and magnetic properties of Fe/Ni(001) multilayers are studied using x-ray diffraction, magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry, and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Multilayers are deposited with constant Fe layers (12 {Angstrom}) and wedged Ni layers (0{endash}30 {Angstrom}), repeated 20 times, to explore the magnetic moment and the structure dependence upon thickness of Ni (t{sub Ni}). Up to t{sub Ni}{approx}16 {Angstrom} (11 ML), both the Fe and the Ni have a bct structure, similar to the bulk structure of bcc Fe. The magnetic moments of Ni in the bct region are nearly constant at 0.85{mu}{sub B} for a Ni thickness t{sub Ni} in the range 3 {Angstrom}{lt}t{sub Ni}{lt}16 {Angstrom}. This represents a significant enhancement over the moment in bulk fcc Ni (0.59{mu}B). The Fe/Ni multilayer undergoes a crystalline phase transition between 16 {Angstrom}{lt}t{sub Ni}{lt}23 {Angstrom}, beyond which both the Fe and Ni have an fct structure. In the fct region, the Ni magnetic moment is close to its bulk value and the Fe magnetic moment drops to 1.5{mu}{sub B}, which is {approximately}70{percent} of its bulk value. The crystalline phase transition is also accompanied by a rotation of the magnetic easy axis by 45{degree} in the plane of the film. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
- OSTI ID:
- 341402
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter, Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter Journal Issue: 21 Vol. 59; ISSN 0163-1829; ISSN PRBMDO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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