ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) is used to probe both the spin and orbital d moments of Co in Co/Pd, Co/Pt, and Co/Ni multilayers, and in a Au/Co-wedge/Pd structure. While the spin moment per Co atom is found to be constant within the experimental error, the orbital moment shows a strong dependence both on the chemical environment and on the thickness of the Co layer. In particular, we find an orbital moment enhancement of up to a factor of three for a Co layer thickness of four atomic layers in the present Au/Co/Pd sandwich structure. This enhancement decays to the bulk Co value, roughly following a 1/dCo dependence, thus confirming its interfacial origin. The relevance of these observations with respect to the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in these samples will be discussed.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.355571