Title :
The effect of interfacial steps on the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface of thin Fe films on Cr(001)
Author :
Escorcia-Aparicio, Ernesto J. ; Choi, Hyuk J. ; Ling, W.L. ; Kawakami, R.K. ; Qiu, Z.Q.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys., California Univ., Berkeley, CA, USA
fDate :
7/1/1998 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The effect of regular interfacial steps on the magnetic properties of ultrathin Fe films grown on Cr(001) is studied by using a curved Cr(001) substrate. Independent of the Fe-Cr interaction, the steps introduce a uniaxial anisotropy which favors an easy axis parallel to the step edges. For certain values of the vicinal angle, the Fe-Cr interaction can overcome the effect of the step-induced anisotropy and align the easy axis perpendicular to the step edges
Keywords :
antiferromagnetic materials; chromium; ferromagnetic materials; interface magnetism; interface structure; iron; magnetic anisotropy; magnetic thin films; surface topography; Cr; Fe-Cr; ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface; interfacial steps; magnetic properties; step-induced anisotropy; uniaxial anisotropy; vicinal angle; Anisotropic magnetoresistance; Antiferromagnetic materials; Chromium; Iron; Magnetic anisotropy; Magnetic films; Magnetization; Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy; Substrates; Temperature;
Journal_Title :
Magnetics, IEEE Transactions on
