Abstract
Sputtered Fe/Si superlattices were grown to study the magnetic coupling between ferromagnetic Fe layers (30 Å thick) for Si spacer-layer thicknesses (tSi) between 10 and 40 Å. The material is ferromagnetical for tSi≤13 Å and antiferromagnetically coupled for 13 Å≤tSi≤17 Å. For tSi≥17 Å the Fe layers are uncoupled. X-ray analysis indicates that the system is well layered, but that the crystal structure remains coherent only for t Si≤17 Å. These results, along with our Mössbauer investigation, strongly suggest that the Si layer is crystalline for t Si≤17 Å, and is silicide in nature. For thicker spacers, Si becomes amorphous. We propose a model of the layering that is consistent with the known properties of Fe silicide.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 6335-6337 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Physics |
Volume | 73 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1993 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)