Spin-polarized low energy electron diffraction (SPLEED) has been used to st
udy spin-dependent scattering from the interfaces of a 2 ML Fe/W(1 1 0) fil
m at incident electron energies from 30 to 90 eV. The scattering geometry a
llows an exact separation of the polarization due to exchange and spin-orbi
t interactions. The experiments reveal peak values of polarization up to 40
% for specific scattering conditions, and root-mean-square polarizations fo
r 4-6% for each mechanism. The magnitude of the spin-orbit polarization is
correlated with that produced by the W(1 1 0) substrate alone, the magnitud
e of the exchange polarization increases with film thickness. (C) 1999 Else
vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.