90-DEGREES MAGNETIZATION SWITCHING IN THIN FE FILMS GROWN ON STEPPED CR(001)

The ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interfacial interaction was invest igated in thin Fe films grown on stepped Cr(001) with the steps parall el to the [100]direction. Above the Neel temperature of the Cr, the at omic steps induce a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with the easy axis pa rallel to the step edges. Below the Neel temperature, the Fe-Cr interf acial interaction favors the Fe magnetization perpendicular to the ste p edges. The competition between the Fe-Cr interaction and the step-in duced magnetic anisotropy re suits in an in-plane 90 degrees magnetiza tion switching from perpendicular to the step edges at low step-densit y to parallel to the seep edges at high step density.