Influence of lattice relaxation on the electron-spin motion in ferromagnetic films: experiment and theory

T. Berdot; A. Hallal; P. Dey; L. Tati Bismaths; L. Joly; A. Bourzami; H. Bulou; F. Scheurer; J. Henk; M. Alouani; W. Weber

doi:10.1117/12.893320

15 September 2011 Influence of lattice relaxation on the electron-spin motion in ferromagnetic films: experiment and theory

T. Berdot, A. Hallal, P. Dey, L. Tati Bismaths, L. Joly, A. Bourzami, H. Bulou, F. Scheurer, J. Henk, M. Alouani, W. Weber

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8100, Spintronics IV; 81000Z (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893320
Event: SPIE NanoScience + Engineering, 2011, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Fe films grown on Ag(001) as well as MgO films on Fe(001) have been studied by spin-polarized electron reflection experiments. The three central observations are: 1) Oscillations with monolayer periodicity of the electron-spin motion angles ε and Φ are observed as a function of the Fe thickness. They are attributed to the oscillatory behavior of the surface-lattice strain that is relaxed at island edges of the incompletely filled top Fe layer. 2) For strongly relaxed thick Fe films a giant spin precession angle of 180o, which is accompanied by a pronounced minimum in the reflected electron intensity, is observed for an electron energy of 7.3 eV. 3) For the interface system MgO/Fe(001) a very strong sensitivity of the spin motion angles on the MgO coverage is observed for certain energy ranges. Ab-initio band structure and spin-dependent electron reflection calculations reveal that lattice relaxations during growth of Fe on Ag(001) as well as MgO on Fe(001) are responsible for the strong changes of the electron-spin motion angles.

Citation Download Citation

T. Berdot, A. Hallal, P. Dey, L. Tati Bismaths, L. Joly, A. Bourzami, H. Bulou, F. Scheurer, J. Henk, M. Alouani, and W. Weber "Influence of lattice relaxation on the electron-spin motion in ferromagnetic films: experiment and theory", Proc. SPIE 8100, Spintronics IV, 81000Z (15 September 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893320

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available