Magnetization depth profile of (Fe/Dy) multilayers

Alexandre Tamion (1, 2) , Frédéric Ott (3) , Pierre-Emmanuel Berche (2) , Etienne Talbot (2) , Catherine Bordel (2) , Didier Blavette (2)

1 LPMCN - Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée et Nanostructures
2 GPM - Groupe de physique des matériaux
3 LLB - UMR 12 - Laboratoire Léon Brillouin

An experimental and numerical study of the magnetization in (Fe 3 nm/Dy 2 nm) multilayers is presented. The samples were thermally evaporated under ultra-high vacuum at two different substrate temperatures, 320 and 570 K. In order to get the magnetization depth profile of these transition metal/ rare earth (TM/RE) multilayers, a fine investigation of the structural, chemical, and magnetic properties was carried out. The samples were studied by X-ray reflectivity (XRR), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), conversion electron Mö ssbauer spectrometry (CEMS), SQUID magneto-metry and polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR). Magnetization profiles were obtained by Monte Carlo simulations to support the PNR fits. The key role of the crystalline structure is emphasized by magnetic depth profile measurements performed using polarized neutron reflectometry. The antiparallel configuration of Fe and Dy layers' magnetizations was evidenced, as well as the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), especially in the case of the sample prepared at 570 K.

Domaines: Science des matériaux [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]

Alexandre Tamion, Frédéric Ott, Pierre-Emmanuel Berche, Etienne Talbot, Catherine Bordel, et al.. Magnetization depth profile of (Fe/Dy) multilayers. Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 2008, 320 (21), pp.2650 - 2659. ⟨10.1016/j.jmmm.2008.05.032⟩. ⟨hal-01633463⟩