Antiferromagnetic ordering in Co-Cu single-crystal superlattices

Abstract

Cobalt-copper single-crystal superlattices were grown by epitaxy on a Cu(100) substrate with different bilayer thicknesses between 20 and 30 A\r{}. Polarized and unpolarized neutron-diffraction characterization shows good structural quality and antiferromagnetic ordering of the superlattices at zero field with the magnetic moments in the film plane. Magnetization measurements are consistent with the neutron data, showing a magnetic moment very close to the saturation value of bulk cobalt (1.7${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}$) as well as a complex dependence on the applied magnetic field.