Magnetic dichroism in angular-resolved hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy from buried layers

Abstract

This work reports the measurement of magnetic dichroism in angular-resolved photoemission from in-plane magnetized buried thin films. The high bulk sensitivity of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) in combination with circularly polarized radiation enables the investigation of the magnetic properties of buried layers. HAXPES experiments with an excitation energy of 8 keV were performed on exchange-biased magnetic layers covered by thin oxide films. Two types of structures were investigated with the IrMn exchange-biasing layer either above or below the ferromagnetic layer: one with a CoFe layer on top and another with a Co${}_2$FeAl layer buried beneath the IrMn layer. A pronounced magnetic dichroism is found in the Co and Fe $2p$ states of both materials. The localization of the magnetic moments at the Fe site conditioning the peculiar characteristics of the Co${}_2$FeAl Heusler compound, predicted to be a half-metallic ferromagnet, is revealed from the magnetic dichroism detected in the Fe $2p$ states.

References in corpus (4)

• Geometric, electronic, and magnetic structure of Co${}_2$FeSi: Curie temperature and magnetic moment measurements and calculations
• Investigation of Co${}_2$FeSi: The Heusler compound with Highest Curie Temperature and Magnetic Moment
• Electronic structure and spectroscopy of the quaternary Heusler alloy Co${}_2$Cr${}_{1-x}$Fe${}_x$Al
• High energy, high resolution photoelectron spectroscopy of Co2Mn(1-x)Fe(x)Si

Cited by in corpus (7)

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• Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy on buried, off-stoichiometric CoxMnyGez (x : z = 2 : 0.38) Heusler thin films
• Electronic and crystalline structures of zero band-gap PdLuBi thin films grown epitaxially on MgO(100)
• A p-type Heusler compound: Growth, structure, and properties of epitaxial thin NiYBi films on MgO(100)
• Electronic structure and symmetry of valence states of epitaxial NiTiSn and NiZr${}_{0.5}$Hf${}_{0.5}$Sn thin films by hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• Investigation on Mn${}_{3-\delta }$Ga/MgO interface for magnetic tunneling junctions