Oscillatory interlayer magnetic coupling of sputtered Fe/Nb superlattices

Conference · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992

OSTI ID:7140509

Mattson, J E; Fullerton, E E; Sowers, C H; Huang, Y Y; Felcher, G P; Bader, S D

The saturation field of sputtered Fe/Nb superlattices oscillates as a function of the Nb thickness with a periodicity of [approximately]9 [Angstrom]. In contrast to the case of Fe/Cr superlattices, the concurrent magnetoresistance oscillations were found to be very weak. Yet polarized neutron reflection measurements confirm that the Fe/Nb superlattices with high saturation field possess a magnetic ground state of the [plus minus][plus minus] type. Neutron and x-ray measurements indicate that, while the crystalline and antiferromagnetic order is well developed along the thickness of the film, the average lateral size of the crystallites (as well as of the magnetic domains) is quite small. This effect (thought to be related to the gross mismatch of the iron and the niobium crystal lattices) may be the cause of the high overall resistance of the material, and its weak dependence on the magnetization.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; NSF; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 7140509
• Report Number(s): ANL/CP-76458; CONF-921201--11; ON: DE93004191; CNN: DMR-86-03304
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360104* -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
BARYONS
COHERENT SCATTERING
DIFFRACTION
DIMENSIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
FERMIONS
HADRONS
IRON
LAYERS
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
METALS
NEUTRONS
NIOBIUM
NUCLEONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
REFLECTION
SCATTERING
SUPERLATTICES
THICKNESS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION