EPITAXIAL-GROWTH AND PATTERNING OF SPUTTERED FE FILMS ON GAAS(001)

Fe(001) films, 10-100 nm thick, were epitaxially grown by magnetron sp uttering on GaAs(001) and on 100-nm-thick Au(001) buffer layers in an UHV-based sputtering system. Excellent epitaxy is inferred from X-ray diffraction measurements and the magnetic anisotropy of the films. Fro m X-ray phi-scans, the epitaxial relationships Fe[100]parallel to GaAs [100] and Fe[100]parallel to Au[110] were determined. Magnetic measure ments by vibrating sample (VSM) and alternating gradient magnetometry (AGM) show a distinct fourfold in-plane anisotropy with the anisotropy constant of bulk Fe. Large-area patterning of the films was done by h olographic lithography and ion beam etching. Square arrays of dots wit h periods of 300 nm to 1 mu m, dot widths of 50 to 490 nm and differen t heights were made. Magnetization measurements (VSM, AGM) show a clea r change in the magnetic properties of the films dominated by the shap e anisotropy of the dots. Again, for some of the samples a fourfold in -plane anisotropy can be observed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.