The effect of GaAs(001) substrate roughness on the magnetic properties of epitaxial Fe films

The effect of GaAs(001) surface roughness on the magnetic properties of MBE -grown Fe films having a thickness t in the interval from 12 to 140 Angstro m is investigated by the ferromagnetic resonance method. The films were dep osited at room temperature with rates of 9 and 3 Angstrom/min. For films gr own on substrates with the rms deviation of the roughness sigma approximate to 10 and 30 Angstrom, the spectrum is essentially dependent on the relati onship between t and sigma. At t less than or equal to sigma and t greater than or equal to 3 sigma, a single absorption line is observed, whereas at sigma less than or equal to t less than or equal to 3 sigma, two absorption lines are present. These features of the spectra are related to the island growth of the films and the influence of roughness on island coalescence. (C) 2000 MAIK "Nauka /Interperiodica".