INTERFACE ALLOYING AT FE CR INTERFACES AND ITS ROLE IN EXCHANGE COUPLING, ANGULAR RESOLVED AUGER-ELECTRON, MAGNETOOPTIC KERR-EFFECT, AND BRILLOUIN LIGHT-SCATTERING-STUDIES/

Angular resolved Auger electron studies were carried out for Fe whiske r/Cr(001) interfaces which were prepared at 100, 180, 246, and 296 deg rees C. The Cr atoms penetrate progressively into the second (counting from the surface) atomic layer at 100, 180, and 246 degrees C. At 296 degrees C the Cr atoms enter the third atomic layer. No noticeable fr action of the Cr atoms was found in the fourth atomic layer. The excha nge coupling was studied in Fe whisker/Cr/Fe(001) films which were gro wn in a nearly perfect layer by layer mode. Magneto-optic Kerr effect and Brillouin light scattering measurements showed that the measured c hange in the phase of the short wavelength oscillations, the presence of a slowly varying exchange coupling bias, and the small measured val ues of exchange coupling are caused by the same mechanism: interface a lloying. The exchange coupling in Fe whisker/Cr/nFe specimens, for n=1 0, 20, 30, and 40 ML, showed no obvious dependence on the Fe layer thi ckness. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.