The correlation between mechanical stress and magnetic properties of ultrathin films
Authors: Sander D.; Skomski R.; Enders A.; Schmidthals C.; Reuter D.; Kirschner J.
Source: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, Volume 31, Number 6, 1998 , pp. 663-670(8)
Publisher: Institute of Physics Publishing
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Abstract:
The cantilever bending beam technique was applied to measure film stress, film magnetization and magneto-elastic coupling in nanometre Fe films grown epitaxially on W substrates. A simple optical deflection technique yielded sub-monolayer sensitivity for stress measurements and was used to determine magnetization and magnetostrictive properties of nanometre Fe films in situ. The combination of an electromagnet inside an ultra-high-vacuum chamber with a rotatable external magnet was employed to perform magneto-optical Kerr-effect measurements in the transversal, longitudinal and polar geometry in fields of up to 0.4 T. Examples for stress-driven structural changes in monolayer Fe films are discussed with respect to the unusual high coercivity found for sesquilayer Fe films and the re-orientation of the easy axis of magnetization in Stranski-Krastanov Fe films. The direct correlation between strain and magnetism was exploited to measure the magnetostrictive bending of the film-substrate composite. The magnitude and sign of the magneto-elastic coupling coefficient were found to depend on the film thickness, in contrast to the respective bulk values.
Language: English
Document Type: Miscellaneous
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