Spin Reorientation in Fe/Cu(100) and Cu/Fe/Cu(100)

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn-situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and Kerr microscopy are used to investigate the relations between structure, morphology, and magnetism in low-temperature (LT) grown Fe/Cu(100) films. At the spin reorientation thickness of ≈ 3.8 monolayers (ML) Fe/Cu(100) the coexistence of in-plane and out-of-plane magnetized domains is observed. For Fe thicknesses between 3.8 and 6 ML Fe/Cu(100). an irreversible spin reorientation from in-plane to out-of-plane can be induced by annealing up to 420 K. Annealing of LT-grown Fe/Cu(100) films is proposed to provide smooth surfaces for Cu/Fe/Cu(100) sandwich preparations.