Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 September 2012
Magnetic circular dichroism in the Fe 2p x-ray absorption is observed in multilayers of (Fe9.5Å/Pt9.5Å)92. The Magnetization and helicity are both in the plane of this multilayer which is prepared by magnetron sputter deposition. This sample is part of a study to examine magnetization in the ternary multilayer system of FeCo/Pt. Lattice and layer pair spacings are measured using x-ray scattering. The atomic concentration profiles of the multilayer films are characterized using Auger electron spectroscopy coupled with depth profiling. Conventional and high resolution transmission electron microscopy are used to examine the thin film, growth morphology and atomic structure.