Structure and growth of metal on NIO(111) single crystal interfaces

The structure, thermal stability, interfacial chemical composition, and growth parameters, derived from in situ grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXD) and grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering, ex situ atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, of three ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic metal/oxide interfaces [Co, Ni81Fe19 (permalloy) and Co70Fe30 on single crystalline NiO(111)] are reported. The samples were prepared in the 300–770 K temperature and 0–200 A thickness ranges. The important role of Fe in the composition and creation of the interfacial compounds as well as in the film flatness is discussed. The strong influence of the NiO(111) single crystal in determining the crystalline structure of the metal layers is evidenced. The limitations of GIXD in the description of the growth morphology were investigated in detail and are discussed with respect to the substrate crystalline quality.