Preparation of SmNi5 and Sm(Ni,T)5[T=Co,Fe] ordered alloy thin films on Cu(111) underlayers

SmNi 5 and Sm ( Ni , T ) 5 [ T = Co , Fe ] epitaxialthin films with the c -axis perpendicular to the substrate surface are successfully prepared on Cu underlayers heteroepitaxially grown on MgO(111) single-crystal substrates. The nucleation behavior of SmNi 5 and Sm ( Ni , T ) 5 crystals on Cu(111) underlayers were investigated. The SmNi 5 and the Sm ( Ni , Co ) 5 films consist of two types of domains whose orientations are rotated around the film normal by 30° each other, whereas the Sm ( Ni , Fe ) 5 film is a single crystal. The nucleation and the domain volume ratio seem to be controllable by adjusting the kind and the composition of transition metal elements.