Applied Physics Letters · 1995 · 81 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesMaterials SciencePhysicsMagnetic MaterialsMetallic MaterialsThin FilmsFerromagnetic MaterialsFerromagnetismMagnetic AnisotropyMagnetic OxidesMagnetic Thin FilmsThin Film Magnetic PropertiesHysteresis LoopsIn-plane Magnetic AnisotropyMagnetic Easy AxisMagnetic HysteresisMagnetization In Thin FilmsMolecular Beam EpitaxyPhotoelectron DiffractionUltrathin Magnetic Films
In-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy is observed in the magnetic hysteresis loops of ultrathin Fe films grown on MgO(001) by means of oblique-incidence molecular beam epitaxy. The films are deposited from an angle of 45° from the surface normal in the (100) azimuth toward the [100]. The easy axis of magnetization is perpendicular to the incident Fe-beam direction. A strong structural asymmetry is observed in x-ray photoelectron diffraction and attributed to an oriented morphology that drives the growth-induced magnetic anisotropy.