MAGNETISM OF THIN EPITAXIAL CR FILMS IN SANDWICH STRUCTURES AND SUPERLATTICES

The spin density wave (SDW) magnetism of thin epitaxial Cr films has r ecently become the focus of interest because of its mediating role in exchange coupled superlattices, While the incommensurate SDW and the N eel temperature, T-N, are well established for bulk Cr, the question a rises of how these properties are altered in thin Films and superlatti ces with ferromagnetic boundary layers. We review here recent synchrot ron and neutron scattering experiments to probe the commensurate and i ncommensurate SDWs in epitaxial Cr(100j layers and the phase diagrams which result from these measurements as a function of film thickness a nd temperature. Finally, we link the antiferromagnetic spin structure of Cr to the Fe layer magnetization vectors in exchange coupled Fe/Cr superlattices, which provides a deeper insight for the cause of non-co llinear magnetic ordering in these artificial superlattices.