Structure and magnetization of (100) FeCr and FeV films deposited on Pd/Cu/Si(100)

Abstract

(100) oriented FeCr and FeV films, 1000 Å thick, have been deposited on (100)Si using (100)Pd/Cu seed layers. Three compositions are made for each alloy, 75/25, 50/50 and 25/75, all show lattice spacings corresponding to a body-centered cubic structure. Magnetic measurement shows composition dependent magnetization: both FeCr and FeV with compositions of 75/25 and 50/50 are ferromagnetic, but not the ones with the composition of 25/75. In-plane magnetization along different crystalline axes shows the same crystalline anistropy as that of bulk Fe crystal for both 75/25 structures, with a higher magnetization along the [100] edge than the [110] one. For the 50/50 structures, the [100] edge shows a smaller magnetization at low fields than the [110] one, but exceeds the latter at higher field. The measured magnetizations are less than those from linearly diluted Fe lattices. The correlation between the structures and magnetic properties is discussed. © 1991.