Analysis of interface magnetic structures in magnetic thin films using resonant X-ray scattering techniques

A new method has been developed for the analysis of the magnetic structures of magnetic multilayers using the resonant scattering of circular-polarized X-rays.Right and left circular-polarized X-rays are produced by rocking a diamond phase shifter around a Bragg position for a photon energy of synchrotron radiation close to the absorption edge of magnetic atoms.The sum and difference intensities scattered from a sample for the two X-ray polarization states give the charge scattering and the charge-magnetic interference scattering information，respectively.The technique has been applied to a[Fe(3.5 nm)/Gd(5.4 nm)]I D 215锡D2 multilayer to determine the non-uniform magnetization structures of the Gd layers in the Fe-aligned and the twisted states with a subnanometer resolution.The results shows that(1)the Gd layers have large magnetizations close to the bulk saturation magnetization in the vicinity of the Fe interfaces，(2)the Curie temperature of the thin Gd layers is lower than the bulk Curie temperature by more than 50K and(3)the in-plane twist angle of the local Gd magnetization is nonuniform along the out-of-plane direction，which depends on temperature.Analysis of magnetic diffuse scattering has revealed that(1)the magnetic interfaces in the studied sample is smoother than the chemical interfaces and(2)magnetically rough interfaces are present at and inside the Gd layers，whereas the chemical interfaces only exist at the Fe/Gd interfaces.

A new method has been developed for the analysis of the magnetic structures of magnetic multilayers using the resonant scattering of circular-polarized X-rays. Right and left circular-polarized X-rays are produced by rocking a diamond phase shifter around a Bragg position for a photon energy of synchrotron radiation close to the absorption edge of magnetic atoms. The sum and difference intensities scattered from a sample for the two X-ray polarization states give the charge scattering and the charge-magnetic interference scattering information, respectively. The technique has been applied to a [Fe(3.5nm)/Gd(5.4nm)]ィイD215ィエD2 multilayer to determine the non-uniform magnetization structures of the Gd layers in the Fe-aligned and the twisted states with a subnanometer resolution. The results shows that (1)the Gd layers have large magnetizations close to the bulk saturation magnetization in the vicinity of the Fe interfaces, (2)the Curie temperature of the thin Gd layers is lower than the bulk Curie temperature by more than 50K and (3)the in-plane twist angle of the local Gd magnetization is nonuniform along the out-of-plane direction, which depends on temperature. Analysis of magnetic diffuse scattering has revealed that (1)the magnetic interfaces in the studied sample is smoother than the chemical interfaces and (2)magnetically rough interfaces are present at and inside the Gd layers, whereas the chemical interfaces only exist at the Fe/Gd interfaces.