Magnetic and structural investigations of ultra-thin Co–Fe alloy films on W(1 1 0)

Abstract We investigated ultra-thin CoxFe1−x films on a flat and vicinal BCC W(1 1 0) surface with thicknesses between 1.8 and 7 monolayers (ML) using longitudinal Kerr magnetometry. We found a transition from magnetic bulk behavior between 3 and 4 ML to the monolayer. The maximum of the remnant Kerr signal that appears for thicker films at x=0.5 turns into a minimum for a sample thickness below 4 ML , while the specific Kerr-rotation per monolayer shows the well known bulk behavior. A similar magnetic behavior on the flat as well as on the stepped part of the substrate indicates that this is an intrinsic property. For x=0.5 the pseudomorphic monolayer is paramagnetic even when it is covered by ferromagnetic material.