Exploration der Grenzen der funktionalen Modifikation dünner magnetischer Schichten

Novel properties and new applications have lead to a tremendous increase ofthe importance of thin films. In particular thin magnetic films have recently gained considerable interest. Such films show new phenomena such as giant magneto- resistance and oscillatory exchange coupling which enable new devices and applications. The significance of these effects is likely to increase in the future and with it the complexity of devices. Further improvements focus on the tailoring of thin films. To achieve this goal a deeper understanding of the interaction between structural and magnetic properties is essential. U nfortunately the sequence of layers in present magnetic sensor heads is too complex to isolate the infiuence of a specific interface. So the only promising approach to understand the different interface interactions is the usage of a model system. Depending on the specific aim of the investigation several systems can serve as a model. The aim of this work was to develop a thermodynamical model to describe the structural and magnetical properties of thin films. To develop this model the infiuence of epitaxial strain on the structure of thin films (FejCu3Au(100) and MnjCu3Au(100)) was investigated first. In a second step the infiuence of a magnetic interface on the structure of a metastable film was investigated. In this case FejNijCu(100) was chosen as a model system...