AVS 49th International Symposium
    Magnetic Interfaces and Nanostructures Tuesday Sessions
       Session MI-TuP

Paper MI-TuP8
Magnetism of Ultrathin Co Films on Flat and Vicinal (001) Surfaces

Tuesday, November 5, 2002, 5:30 pm, Room Exhibit Hall B2

Session: Aspects of Magnetism
Presenter: H.P. Oepen, University of Hamburg, Germany
Authors: S. Pütter, University of Hamburg, Germany
N. Mikuszeit, University of Hamburg, Germany
J. Hoyer, University of Hamburg, Germany
H.P. Oepen, University of Hamburg, Germany
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The magnetic properties of ultrathin Co films on Cu(1 1 13) and Pt(001) have been investigated by means of the magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE). Due to the symmetry breaking of the vicinal Cu(1 1 13) a uniaxial magnetic behavior is found. Magnetic anisotropies of first and second order are derived from the hard axis hysteresis curves revealing a field-driven spin-reorientation transition. The thickness dependence of the magnetic anisotropies is explained in the framework of strain relieve. The Kerr ellipticities perpendicular and parallel to the step edges are different. The difference is due to a canting of magnetization that causes a superposition of longitudinal and polar Kerr effect. Utilizing a recently proposed procedure@footnote 1@ to deconvolute the mixed Kerr signals the canting angle is determined and found to be thickness dependent. By means of MOKE the quasi static magnetic susceptibility is measured during Co growth on Pt(001). The parallel susceptibility was obtained for in-plane orientation of magnetization. Around one monolayer a susceptibility peak indicates the onset of ferromagnetism in the pseudomorphic Co layer. For higher thicknesses the fcc Co film exhibits a fourfold symmetry with <110> as easy axes. @FootnoteText@ @footnote 1@ H.F. Ding, S. Pütter, H.P. Oepen & J. Kirschner, J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 212 (2000), L5 .