Frozen Low-Spin Interface in Ultrathin Fe Films on Cu(111)

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2005 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.027201· OSTI ID:978027

Torija Juana, Maria Asuncion ^[1]; Gai, Zheng ^[1]; Myoung, N ^[2]; Plummer, E Ward ^[1]; Shen, Jian ^[1]

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1. ORNL
2. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) & Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

In ultrathin film systems, it is a major challenge to understand how a thickness-driven phase transition proceeds along the cross-sectional direction of the films. We use ultrathin Fe films on Cu(111) as a prototype system to demonstrate how to obtain such information using an in situ scanning tunneling microscope and the surface magneto-optical Kerr effect. The magnetization depth profile of a thickness-driven low-spin to high-spin magnetic phase transition is deduced from the experimental data, which leads us to conclude that a low-spin Fe layer at the Fe/Cu interface stays live upon the phase transition. The magnetically live low-spin phase is believed to be induced by a frozen fcc Fe layer that survives a thickness-driven fcc {yields} bcc structural transition.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 978027
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 95; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
KERR EFFECT
MAGNETIZATION
MICROSCOPES
TUNNELING