Atomic Layer Resolved Measurements of Fe/MgO with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy by Synchrotron Mössbauer Spectroscopy

The discovery of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) at the interface of ferromagnetic ultra-thin films and MgO has stimulated a vast interest in developing high-density magnetic random-access memory. Whilst attempts have been made to understand the origin of interfacial PMA, difficulties in distinguishing contributions from the interface and bulk layers has hampered the understanding of such phenomena. In this study, we have investigated for the first time the electronic and magnetic properties of PMA in Fe ultra-thin films on MgO in an atomic-layer resolved fashion by employing depth-resolved synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy to get an insight into the physical mechanism of interfacial PMA.応用物理学会春季学術講演会202