AVS 47th International Symposium
    Magnetic Interfaces and Nanostructures Tuesday Sessions
       Session MI+NS+NANO 6-TuA

Invited Paper MI+NS+NANO 6-TuA1
Correlation of Ferromagnetic and Antiferromagnetic Spin Orientation Observed by Photoemission Electron Microscopy

Tuesday, October 3, 2000, 2:00 pm, Room 206

Session: Magnetic Imaging II
Presenter: S. Anders, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Authors: S. Anders, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
A. Scholl, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
F. Nolting, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
H.A. Padmore, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
J. Stohr, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
J. Luening, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory
J.W. Seo, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland
J. Fompeyrine, IBM Research Division, Switzerland
J.-P. Locquet, IBM Research Division, Switzerland
M. Scheinfein, FEI Company
Correspondent: Click to Email
Photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) using polarized x rays is a unique tool for the study of ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials. FM materials are studied using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and AFM materials using x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD). The elemental specificity of PEEM allows to study individual layers in multilayer structures, and to investigate the coupling between them. Increasingly complex layered structures containing magnetic and antiferromagnetic materials are used in modern magnetic devices, and knowledge of the magnetic properties of the layers and interfaces is essential for the understanding of the properties of these devices. Of particular interest is the effect of exchange biasing at the interface of an AFM and an FM. AFM materials have been difficult to study so far because of a lack of methods with sufficient spatial resolution and surface sensitivity. We have investigated the magnetic and topographic surface structure of several AFM materials, in particular thin singlecrystalline and polycrystalline NiO and LaFeO@sub 3@ films. We were able to resolve the antiferromagnetic surface structure of those materials, showing antiferromagnetic domains, and antiferromagnetic patterns, correlated to the surface topography. Local NEXAFS spectra yielded information about the antiferromagnetic orientation at the sample surface. The study of an FM Co thin film on top of an AFM LaFeO@sub 3@ film showed for the first time a direct correlation between AFM and FM domains.