Polarization of Pd Atoms and Interlayer Coupling in Fe—Si/Pd Multilayers

Abstract

In this paper two series of Fe—Si/Pd multilayers are made by rf sputtering and studied by vibrating sample magnetometry and electronic paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. For Fe—Si/Pd (5.4 nm) multilayers with increasing Fe—Si layer thickness, the saturation magnetization Ms decreases. This is an evidence of the spin-polarization of Pd atoms. An interlayer coupling is confirmed to exist by spin wave modes in Fe—Si (1.5 nm)/Pd multilayers with Pd layer thickness dpd ⩽ 7.2 nm, except for dpd = 1.8 nm. For dpd = 1.8 nm no interlayer coupling occurs, and both the saturation magnetization Ms and the effective magnetization 4πMeff have a minimum. The resonance linewidth ΔH changes correspondingly with the effective magnetization as a function of dpd and has a maximum at dpd of 1.8 nm.