Abstract
Fe3O4/GaAs hybrid structures have been studied using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and low-temperature vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM). The samples were prepared by oxidizing epitaxial Fe thin films in a partial pressure of 5×10(–5) mbar of oxygen at 500 K for 180 s. Clear RHEED patterns were observed, suggesting the epitaxial growth of Fe oxides with a cubic structure. The XPS spectra show that the oxides were Fe3O4 rather than gamma-Fe2O3, as there were no shake-up satellites between the two Fe 2p peaks. This was further confirmed by the XMCD measurements, which show ferromagnetic coupling between the Fe cations, with no evidence of intermixing at the interface. The VSM measurements show that the films have a magnetic uniaxial anisotropy and a "quick" saturation property, with the easy axes along the [011] direction. This detailed study offers further insight into the structure, interface, and magnetic properties of this hybrid Fe3O4/GaAs(100) structure as a promising system for spintronic application.
© 2005 American Institute of Physics
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | ARTN 10C313 |
| Pages (from-to) | Art no. 10C313 Part 2 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Physics |
| Volume | 97 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 May 2005 |
| Event | 49th Annual Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials - Jacksonville Duration: 7 Nov 2004 → 11 Nov 2004 |
Bibliographical note
© 2005 American Institute of Physics. Available from the author's web site (Associated URL field).Keywords
- THIN-FILMS
- MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES
- GROWTH
- OXIDES
- FE3O4 FILMS