CHANGE OF MAGNETOOPTICAL KERR ROTATION DUR TO INTERLAYER THICKNESS INMAGNETICALLY COUPLED FILMS WITH NOBLE-METAL WEDGE

An intensity oscillation of the saturation polar Kerr rotation phi(K) due to interlayer thickness d was observed in Fe(5 angstrom)/Au(d angs trom)/Fe(5 angstrom)(100) and Fe(6 angstrom)/Au(d angstrom)/Fe(6 angst rom)(100) sandwiched films. The periods of the oscillation are about 7 -8 and 5-6 monolayers of Au thickness, respectively. The oscillation o f phi(K) can be observed only in the photon energy range 2.5-3.8 eV fo r Fe(6 angstrom)/Au(d angstrom)Fe(6 angstrom). These phenomena are con sidered to be closely related to a formation of spin-polarized quantum -well states of the minority DELTA1 band in the Au layer sandwiched wi th two Fe barrier layers. The phi(K) peak positions and oscillation pe riod do not correspond exactly to those of the change in the in-plane saturation field H(s).