Physical and magnetic roughness at metal-semiconductor interface using x-ray and neutron reflectometry

Specular polarized neutron reflectometry has shown a difference in nuclear and magnetic roughness in Fe/Ge thin film and also asymmetric magnetic scattering length density distributions at Fe on Ge and Ge on Fe interfaces. The interface magnetic moments are dependent on the crystalline state of Fe and Ge as well as the deposition sequence and the difference between nuclear and magnetic roughness at magnetic-semiconductor interfaces have played a key role in spintronics.