Magnetic study of epitaxial Fe/InGaAs/InP(100) deposited by ion-beam sputtering

Fe layers, 3, 6, 10, and 25 nm thick, were epitaxially deposited by ion-beam sputtering on InGaAs/InP(100) wafers. For the 3-nm-thick layer, the sample shows a strong in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy along the [110] direction between 5 and 300 K. The 6-nm film exhibits competition between the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and the magnetic anisotropy of the bulk bcc Fe. The fourfold magnetic anisotropy of the bulk Fe dominates for the 10-nm Fe film. A decrease of the magnetization is observed for the thinner sample as compared to the bulk. This decrease is discussed in terms of Fe thickness, interface effect, diffusion effect, and possible phases at the interface with the semiconductor. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.