Magnetic and Structural Properties of Real Metal Layer Interfaces

The magnetic properties of bulk metals, for instance, their magnetic moments and anisotropies, have been extensively studied in the past and are now well understood in great detail for most homogeneous metals and alloys. In contrast, the magnetic properties of ultrathin film interfaces and surfaces, which usually differ from the bulk properties, have generated growing new interest over the last decade. This rapid growth in interest has resulted because the preparation of thin films with well defined compositions and structures, by molecular beam epitaxy in an ultra high vacuum or by sputtering techniques, has shown enormous progress over the past few years. As a result it has even been possible to prepare thin films of materials with crystal structures deviating from the usual crystal structure of the bulk material. Examples are thin films of fcc-iron or bcc-cobalt. Simultaneously with the growth in preparative methods, many subtle new experimental methods for the analysis of the various properties of thin films and interfaces have been developed. In addition, modern band structure calculations have provided a new and powerful tool for the theoretical treatment of the magnetic properties of thin films and interfaces.