GROWTH OF FE(110) BCC NI(110) SUPERLATTICES BY MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXY/

We have grown a series of Fe(110)/bcc Ni(110) superlattices by MBE. RH EED and X-ray analysis indicated that even for Fe thicknesses of only 2 ML, the subsequent Ni layer could be grown in a pseudomorphic phase with a structure resembling that of the Fe template up to a thickness of 8 ML. Magnetometry determined that this distorted bcc phase is ferr omagnetic at room temperature. Transmission Mossbauer spectroscopy imp lied the existence of two magnetic Fe sites, one we associate with Fe atoms that have diffused into the Ni layers and the other with Fe atom s that mainly coordinate other Fe atoms. The diffused site showed no m agnetic splitting at 300 K in an Fe(110)/Ag(111) film that was grown f or comparison to the Fe(110)/Ni films, implying that the distorted bcc Ni(110) is magnetic.