The electronic and magnetic structure of small vanadium clusters adsorbed on Ag (001) is studied as a function of the exchange integral J of the Hubbard Hamiltonian and cluster size with bcc structure. For each topological arrangement, the transition from nonmagnetic to magnetic order is characterized. As in the case of films (1 or 2 layers thick) epitaxially grown on Ag (001), antiferromagnetic coupling between V atoms is usually obtained. However, because the symmetry is lower in the present case, various magnetic configurations are displayed.

Amorphous TbFe films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are attracting wide attention as promising candidates for erasable high - density Magneto - optical recording and thermomagnetic printing. TbxFe1−x thin films with 0 ≤ × ≤ 0.37 are deposited on glass substrates using r.f. sputtering. The Magnetic remanent domain structures are studied at room temperature using the longitudinal and polar Kerr effect. Samples with 0 ≤ × ≤ 0.23 exhibit magnetic in-plane anisotropy, while samples with 0.26 ≤ × ≤ 0.37 possess uniaxial anisotropy with easy axis perpendicular to the film plane. The remanent domain structures depend strongly on Tb content. High remanence and high coercivity are found for samples with 0.27 ≤ × ≤ 0.34 which is confirmed by additional vibrating sample Magnetometer (VSM) Measurements.

We have performed elastic neutron scattering measurements of the staggered magnetization in (FeF2) M (CoF2) n superlattices. Thermal expansion Measurements, which are proportional to the magnetic contribution to the specific heat, were also carried out using high resolution x-ray diffraction. One of the two measured samples has thicknesses of M = n = 4.5 and the other M = 26 and n = 28 Monolayers, as determined from high angle x-ray θ — 2θ scans. In the M = n = 4.5 sample, only one transition is observed at T/v = 62.9K. Analysis of the neutron data, including the rounding effects, indicates an effective β ≈ 0.42. This does not compare well with the 3D Ising exponent β = 0.325. The X-ray data also show the existence of only one specific heat anomaly at T = 62.8 K. For the M = 26, n = 28 sample, dips in the staggered magnetization and peaks in the thermal expansion were observed at T ≈ 40 K and 74 K. The higher temperature anomaly, associated primarily with the FeF2 layers, is sharper than the lower one, which is presumably rounded by the staggered ordering field imposed by the long range order in the FeF2 regions on the CoF2 regions.

High Moment single layer FeTaN films with excellent soft magnetic properties have been grown by high rate reactive dc magnetron sputtering. The best combination of properties (easy and hard axis coercivities < 1 Oe, saturation Magnetization > 1650 emu/cc, anisotropy field of 5 Oe, and initial permeability of 4800) are found in films containing ∼3.2 a/O Ta and ∼7.5 a/o N after 400°C annealing in a 200 Oe dc field for two hours. These properties are associated with a single phase, random, nanocrystalline structure consisting of a-Fe crystallites (grain size of ∼ 100Å) whose lattice is expanded by both Ta and N.

Magnetostriction and thin film stress have been studied in high moment single layer FeTaN films deposited by high rate reactive dc magnetron sputtering. Low Magnetostriction (Magnitude less than 1 × 10-6) can be obtained over a fairly large range of nitrogen flow rates during film deposition by vacuum annealing at 500°C. After annealing at 500°C for two hours, all films were found to be in a state of tensile stress. Stress versus temperature measurements up to 400°C show film stress in as-deposited films to be highly hysteretic during the first temperature cycle reflecting the films' processing history. Stress-temperature cycles on annealed samples indicate that extremely stable films are produced in an intermediate range of nitrogen content.

Ferrimagnetic oxide films have been shown to have potential for use as Magneto-optical information storage Materials. Cobalt ferrite films are particularly interesting for magneto optical information storage due to their high magneto optical rotation [1]. In this work, synthesized soluble cobalt (II) and iron (III) Methoxyethoxides were mixed in stoichiometric ratios for use as Co and Fe precursors in the preparation of CoFe2O4ferrimagnetic films. The decomposition of the precursors was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis.

CoFe2O4 films were prepared by the dip coating technique using fused silica substrates. These films were then heat treated at temperatures ranging from 200°C to 600°C to study the transformation from an amorphous film to a crystalline film as determined by x-ray diffraction. The Magnetic hysteresis behavior of the films as a function of heat treating temperature and hence crystallinity was also studied. As a general trend, films having a greater degree of crystallinity exhibited larger values of saturation magnetization and remanent Magnetization. The amorphous film was found to exhibit the highest coercive field, but low values of saturation and remanent Magnetization. The effect of heat treating under the influence of a magnetic field of 1.88 kÖe was found to enhance crystallization only slightly and had very little effect on the magnetic properties of the film.

It is well known that Cr sputtered on glass or NiP/Al substrates has either the (002) or (110) crystallographic texture (depending on the substrate temperature) and that the Co-alloy layers which are deposited on the Cr underlayers have either the (1120) or (1011) textures respectively. However, the dependence of the crystallographic textures on other sputtering parameters is not clear. We report here on the study of the dependence of crystallographic textures of CoCrTa/Cr films on substrate bias. It is found that both Cr (110) and Cr (002) textures can form at elevated temperature, depending on the substrate bias. The development of the crystallographic texture is discussed with a Model. It is also found that the epitaxy of CoCrTa layer depends on the sputtering conditions of both the Cr and the CoCrTa layers. The extrinsic magnetic properties (such as He, S and S*) of thin films with various textures are also presented. By controlling the sputtering procedure, the effects of crystallographic textures on magnetic properties were separated from the effects of film Morphology.

We have investigated structural and magnetic properties of epitaxial Ni80Fe20 films grown on relaxed epitaxial Cu/Si (001) films. The crystallographic texture of these films was analyzed in situ by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), and ex situ by x-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron Microscopy (XTEM). In particular, RHEED intensities were recorded during epitaxial growth, and intensity profiles across Bragg rods were used to calculate the surface lattice constant, and hence, find the critical epitaxial thickness for which Ni80Fe20 grows pseudomorphically on Cu (100). XTEM analysis indicated that the epitaxial films had atomically-abrupt interfaces which was not the case for polycrystalline Cu and Ni80Fe20 film interfaces. The Magnetic properties of these epitaxial films were Measured in situ using Magneto-optic Kerr effect magnetometry and were compared with those of polycrystalline films grown on SiO2/Si. Large Hc (∼ 35 Oe) was observed for epitaxial Ni80Fe20 films less than 3.0 nm thick whereas for increasing thickness, Hc decreased approximately monotonically to a few Oersteds. Correlations were made between magnetic properties of these epitaxial films, the strain in the film and the interface roughness obtained from XTEM analysis.

The growth of iron and copper films and multilayers on the (100) face of diamond has been achieved and studied by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), and SQUID Magnetometry. RHEED and AES studies show that 2–3 atomic layers (AL) of Fe on C (100) forms a continuous film. The films as deposited at room temperature are disordered, and after a 350° C anneal displays a face-centered cubic structure. Subsequent layers of Cu on this epitaxial Fe film grow as an oriented, single crystal fee film. FMR and SQUID signals have been observed from the Fe films, showing that they are ferromagnetic.

In this paper we have studied the dia and paramagnetic susceptibilities of the holes in ultrathin films of dilute magnetic materials in the presence of a quantizing magnetic field and compared the same with that of the bulk specimens under magnetic quantization for the purpose of relative comparison. It is found, taking Hg1−xMnxTe and Cd1−xMnxSe as examples, that both the susceptibilities increase with decreasing film thickness and increasing surface concentration in oscillatory Manners. The numerical values of the susceptibilities in ultrathin films of dilute magnetic materials are greater than that of the bulk and the theoretical analysis is in agreement with the experimental data as reported elsewhere.

Spin polarized electron energy loss spectroscopy (SPEELS) was used to probe the magnetic state of mn over layers on Fe (100). Nonzero exchange asymmetries are measured and found to oscillate with a two monolayer period as the mn overlayer thickness is varied, proving that the surface layer of the mn overlayers has a net magnetic moment and that these (100) Magnetic layers are aligned antiferromagnetically. The average exchange splitting of the mn surface layer is found to be 2.9 eV, indicating that the mn surface has a magnetic moment of the order 3 μg. In addition, oxidized mn overlayer surfaces have been studied, and the spectral features in the range 0 to 6 eV energy loss can be assigned to 3d-3d transitions of Mn2+. No indication of magnetic ordering of the MnO overlayer has been oserved.

We have investigated structural and magnetic properties of CoPt alloy films with strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the thickness range between 100Å and 400A. From a detailed x-ray analysis we find highly (111) -textured CoPt Microcrystal-lites in all samples. STM studies reveal a granular topography with grain diameters of up to 250Å. Measurements of hysteresis loops yield a saturation field which increases with thickness, and which is consistent with a freely mobile domain Model. Brillouin light scattering measurements of the frequencies of the surface and standing spin wave modes yield a bulk exchange constant, which is strongly dependent on the Pt content.

Several series of CoxAg1-x granular thin films (-3000Å) were fabricated by coevapora-tion of Co and Ag in a dual e-beam UHV deposition system at varying substrate temperatures. These films have low field magnetoresistance values as large as 31% at room temperature and 65% at liquid N2 temperature. The structure of the films was determined using magnetization measurements as well as x-ray and various electron microscopy techniques. The composition was determined using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The Magnetoresistance was measured at both room and liquid N2 temperatures.

We deduce from the magnetization and RBS Measurements that the films consist of Co globules embedded in a Ag Matrix and that there is no appreciable mixing of the Co and Ag atoms in the films deposited at substrate temperatures ≥ 400°K. The size of the Co globules is seen to increase with increasing Co concentration and the maximum magnetoresistance occurs in those films having the smallest Ag thickness which provides magnetic isolation of the Co globules.

We suggest that the large magnetoresistance of these films arises from the same mechanism which causes the low field magnetoresistance in pure ferromagnets, namely, the scattering of the highly polarized d conduction electrons of the Co at magnetic boundaries. The large increase in the room temperature magnetoresistance of the CO/Ag films as compared to those of pure 3d ferromagnetic films is due to the distance between the magnetic boundaries being reduced to a few nanometers, because of the small size of the single domain Co globules, as compared to a few microns in 3d ferromagnets.

Wc report the observation of giant magnctorcsistance in granular systems prepared by either Melt-spinning or sputtering. For Melt-spun CoxCu1-x alloys, with x varying between 5 and 30%, Magnctoresitancc amplitudes of 20% in 50 kOc at 5 K were obtained, similar to those reported for the same alloys prepared by sputtering. For sputtered (Ni80Fe20)xAg1-x alloys, three different contributions to the magnetorcsisiancc have been clearly identified: The spin-valve (or giant) Magnctorcsistance, scattering on magnetic fluctuations, and anisotropie Magnetorcsistancc. These three contributions have their own dependences on the size of the magnetic particles, on the degree of intermixing between NiFe and Ag, and on the temperature. In the third scries of samples, sputtered (Co70Fe30)xAg1-x, very large magnctorcsistance amplitude has been observed (AR/R as high as 20% at room temperature in 10 kOc and 60% at 10 K).

We have observed giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) in Ni81Fe19/Ag granular structures synthesized by the annealing of artificial multilayers made by sputtering. The size and morphology of the magnetic precipitates can be controlled by adjusting the magnetic layer thickness in the initial stage. Magnetoresistance as large as 30% was found at 4.2 K with a rather small saturation field. Giant Magnetoresistance in this alloy system essentially depends on the magnetic precipitate size, annealing temperature and the Ni81Fe19 concentration. The temperature dependence of the magnetoresistance in these films is discussed.

Giant Magnetoresistance, GMR, in thin metal films elicits attention due to its technological potential as well as its relevance to theory of exchange coupling. Epitaxial, phase-segregated ferromagnet/paramagnet Mixtures have been grown by UHV evaporation. Such films show spontaneous formation of ferromagnetic clusters, leading to large values of GMR (40% at room temperature) as grown. The growth of Co-Cu, Co-Ag, Fe-Ag and Permalloy-Ag films are described. Structural analysis by grazing-incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) provides a measure of cluster size and characteristic spacing. Effects of growth temperature and subsequent annealing on GMR and film structure are described. Preliminary results of TEM examination of (001) Fe-Ag and Co-Ag granular films are presented for the first time.

The phenomenon of giant magnetoresistance (GMR), previously measured only in multilayer films comprising ferromagnetic layers separated by nonmagnetic spacers, has recently been observed in single layer ‘granular’ alloy thin films prepared by cosputtering a ferromagnet and a nonmagnet which tend to phase separate (cluster) under equilibrium conditions. We have systematically studied the magnetoresistance of two new phase separating GMR systems (Ni66Fe16Co18-Ag and Co9oFelo-Ag) both of which exhibit large room temperature GMR (>11% and >14%, respectively). We have also attempted to influence the details of the field dependence of the magnetoresistance in the previously studied Co-Ag system by employing novel processing methods including interrupted sputtering and layering of the Co-Ag alloy with Cu spacers.

Thin Mirror-like iron carbide films were prepared by introducing iron pentacarbonyl [Fe(CO)5] and hydrogen [H2] into a glow discharge. The deposition temperatures were varied from 200–500°C. The iron to carbon ratios of the resulting films were controlled by adjusting the gas flow ratios. The Microstructure and phase transformations occurring in these films were studied before and after annealing at 400°C for four hrs. Characterization techniques used included x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, Auger spectroscopy and atomic force Microscopy.

X-ray diffraction data of plasma-deposited films on glass substrates maintained at 400°C showed the presence of only Fe3C. However, the x-ray diffraction data of films on carbon coated glass, and transmission electron microscopy selected area diffraction patterns of films on carbon coated copper grids indicated the presence of a second phase, the closely related Metastable Fe7C3, as well as small amounts of Fe3O4. Atomic force microscopy of crystallites on the surface of films deposited at 400°C and annealed at 400°C for four hours revealed a periodic structure of oblate spheroids. The Measured spacings and angle, when compared to projected models of high reticular density planes, suggested the surface to have a structure corresponding to that of bulk FesC or Fe3C or Fe7C3. However the data were not of sufficient quality to unambiguously determine such.

Using Larmor precession as a clock, Buttiker1 identified theoretical times for the scattering of particles from an opaque slab coincident with a magnetic field. The subsequent model generated interesting predictions for the influence of opaque regions on the magnetic polarization of the transmitted and reflected beams. Previous attempts to verify these predictions were unable to do so unambiguously2. Here, Biittiker's formulae are extended to more general geometries. An experiment has been devised to test the theory by measuring neutron beam polarization in both reflection from and transmission through magnetic films below the critical angle for external reflection.

High-resolution electron microscopy has been used to characterize the microstructure of thin CO/Cu Metallic Multilayers grown on Si (100) substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. The nature of the buffer layer between the silicon wafer and the multilayer had a significant effect on the structural integrity of the Multilayer. An increase in grain size was observed as a function of Cu layer thickness, with grain sizes typically being at least 3–4 times the bilayer period. A high degree of structural ordering was observed in superlattices comprised of thicker Cu layers with large grains often spanning the complete multilayer stack. Complementary Magnetic Measurements enabled the microstructure to be related to the oscillatory exchange coupling and large magnetoresistance exhibited by these thin magnetic films.