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Magnetic Microscopy of Fe/Mn/Fe Layers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

H. Hopster
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Surface and Interface Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
Y. Iwasaki
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Surface and Interface Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
J. Barthel
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Surface and Interface Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
E.B. Maiken
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Surface and Interface Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
B.P. Miller
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Surface and Interface Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
J. Kondis
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Surface and Interface Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
Y. Yu
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Surface and Interface Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
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Abstract Manganese layers were deposited on polycrystalline Fe-based soft magnetic films. The magnetic domain structure of thin Fe overlayers on top these Mn films was measured by secondary electron microscopy with polarization analysis. The Fe layers show spin polarization only beyond a certain critical thickness of about 20 Å. Beyond this thickness the domain structure of the substrate starts to appear in the Fe overlayer. This delayed onset of ferromagnetic order in the Fe layers is attributed to frustration of ferromagnetic order due to the strong coupling to the antiferromagnetically ordered Mn. With increasing Fe film thickness (between 20–30 Å) the magnetization increases and shows the same domain pattern as the substrate. We find that for all Mn thicknesses studied (up to 170 Å) the Fe overlayer domain structure reproduces the substrate domain structure and the magnetization is always aligned parallel with the substrate magnetization.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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References

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