(Towards) Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy of NiFe films on a chromium001 single crystal: Growth and electronic structure of Permalloy

This paper shows spin-polarized tunneling on the terraces of antiferromagnetic chromiums001d. Details on the morphological and chemical composition are shown as a function of various stages of surface preparation, and protocols for obtaining Crs001d that reveal spin-polarized contrast are reported. On the clean crystal the chromium surface state at the Fermi level could be observed. The spin splitting of the state was measured by using an iron coated tungsten tip. A spin polarization of 10% was observed. The properties of NiFe grown on Crs001d measured using nonpolarized tunneling spectroscopy are also reported. Monolayer thick permalloy grows in Volmer–Weber mode, exhibiting pyramidal islands oriented along the chromium k110l direction. Spectroscopic data reveal that NiFe alloying is preserved