Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
The surface spin-flop and Néel transitions are examined in Fe/Cr superlattices. The surface spin-flop, originally predicted by Mills [Phys. Rev. Lett. 20, 18 (1968)], is observed in Fe/Cr(211) superlattices with antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling and uniaxial in-plane anisotropy. The Néel transition (TN) of Cr is observed in Fe/Cr(001) superlattices, for which the onset of antiferromagnetism is at a thickness tCr of 42Å. The bulk value of TN is approached asymptotically as tCr increases and is characterized by a three-dimensional shift exponent. These TN results are attributed to finite-size effects and spin-frustration near rough Fe-Cr interfaces.