Dresden 2003 – scientific programme
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DS: Dünne Schichten
DS 12: Schichtwachstum II
DS 12.6: Talk
Wednesday, March 26, 2003, 16:30–16:45, GER/37
Layer-by-layer growth of epitaxial ultrathin Ni films on Cu(111) — •Frank Matthes1, Alexei Rzhevskii1, Liu-Niu Tong1, C.M. Schneider1, and David Venus2 — 1Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW) Dresden, Helmholtzstrasse 20, D-01069 Dresden, Germany — 2Department of Physics and Astronomy and Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, 1280 Mian Street West, Hamilton, Ont., Canada L8S 4MI
We found that by using Sb as a surfactant, epitaxial Ni films can be grown in a layer-by-layer (l.b.l) mode on a Cu(111) single crystal. When the Sb coverage exceeds a certain threshold value (0,7 monolayer(ML)), medium energy electron diffraction (MEED) shows pronounced intensity oscillations during the subsequent evaporation of Ni, indicating a l.b.l. growth up to at least 20 ML. AES measurements reveal that the Sb is floating on top of the Ni film as it grows. The measured Sb incorporation rate amounts to only 3% per monolayer. LEED and MEED studies do not indicate the formation of an ordered superstructure during the evaporation of Sb on the Cu(111) crystal or after annealing up to temperatures of 600∘ C. High quality Ni(111) films were prepared in this manner. LEED images of the Ni film reveal a hexagonal diffraction pattern with a threefold symmetry, indicating large structural domains. The magnetic properties of the Ni films with different thicknesses were investigated using the in situ magneto-optical Kerr effect in polar and longitudinal geometries. An inverse spin reorientation transition was observed as a function of the thickness.