Depth-dependent magnetism in epitaxial MnSb thin films: effects of surface passivation and cleaning

JD Aldous, CW Burrows, I Maskery, MS Brewer, TPA Hase, JA Duffy, MR Lees, C Sanchez-Hanke, Thibault Decoster, Wolfgang Theis, A Quesada, AK Schmid, GR Bell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Depth-dependent magnetism in MnSb(0001) epitaxial films has been studied by combining experimental methods with different surface specificities: polarized neutron reflectivity, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), x-ray resonant magnetic scattering and spin-polarized low energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM). A native oxide similar to 4.5 nm thick covers air-exposed samples which increases the film's coercivity. HCl etching efficiently removes this oxide and in situ surface treatment of etched samples enables surface magnetic contrast to be observed in SPLEEM. A thin Sb capping layer prevents oxidation and preserves ferromagnetism throughout the MnSb film. The interpretation of Mn L-3,L-2 edge XMCD data is discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)146002
Number of pages1
JournalJournal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Volume24
Issue number14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2012

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