STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS OF FE CR SUPERLATTICES AND THEIR COMPONENTS/

Structural analysis of metallic superlattices is essential for underst anding their interesting transport properties like the giant magnetore sistance (GMR) effect. We present a detailed analysis of the [Fe (4.8 Angstrom)/Cr (13 Angstrom)](50) superlattice which shows a record GMR value. The analysis is done by simulating its x-ray diffraction spectr um measured with a synchrotron x-ray source. The ingredients for this simulation are obtained from simulations of x-ray diffraction spectra of single Fe and Cr films. This way we reduce the number of free param eters resulting in reliable values for the interfaces roughness. We al so show that x-ray diffraction spectra of systems with low contrast in electron density can be quantitatively analysed.