The influence of Ag buffer layer on the structural and magnetic properties in epitaxial Fe films

Abstract The structural and magnetic properties of Ag buffer layer were investigated by X-ray diffraction and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements. Three hundred Angstrom Fe films were deposited by molecular beam epitaxy on single-crystal MgO(0 0 1) substrates with Ag buffer layer varying from 0 to 150 A. Small-angle X-ray reflectivity revealed the influence of Ag buffer layer on the interfacial roughness. It correlated well with the dependence of coercive field on the Buffer layer thickness.