Size-dependent magnetic single-domain versus vortex state stability of Co/Ru(0001) nanodots is explored with spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy, analytical modeling, and micromagnetic simulations. We show that both single-domain and vortex states can be stabilized in a broad region near the phase boundary. The calculated width of the bistability region and temperature dependent heights of the energy barriers between both states agree well with our experimental findings.

Combined experimental and ab initio studies show that the surface-state-mediated adatom-step and adatomadatom interactions are the driving forces for the self-organization of Fe adatoms on vicinal Cu͑111͒ surfaces at low temperatures. Our scanning tunneling microscope observations and the kinetic Monte Carlo simulations reveal the self-organization of Fe adatoms into atomic strings. The interatomic separation ͑1.2 nm͒ in the strings is not determined by the nearest-neighbor distance ͑0.26 nm͒ of the Cu atoms along the step edge but by the wavelength of the surface-state charge density oscillations.

Epitaxial growth of Co on GaAs͑001͒ and its in-plane magnetic anisotropy are studied using reflection high-energy electron diffraction, a high-resolution transmission electron microscope, and the magneto-optical Kerr effect. In the initial and final stages of growth, Co exists in single-crystalline body-centered-cubic ͑bcc͒ and hexagonal-closed-packed ͑hcp͒ phases, respectively, while in the middle stage the coexistence of the bcc and hcp structures is observed. For the bcc Co thin films on GaAs͑001͒, a fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy with easy axes along the ͗100͘ directions is realized and discussed. ͓S0163-1829͑98͒04915-7͔The 3d transition metals exist in a variety of crystallographic and magnetic phases. Thin-film growth of these materials on crystalline substrates allows the forces present at the interface to drive the film into specific crystalline structures. These structures may be in a thermodynamically stable phase, a known high-pressure or high-temperature phase, or even a phase not previously observed. They greatly increase the variety of magnetic materials by essentially making ''new'' materials from ''old'' elements. 1The epitaxial growth of Co films serves as a good example. It is known that the hexagonal-close-packed ͑hcp͒ and face-centered-cubic ͑fcc͒ structures are, respectively, stable and metastable phases of Co. The body-centered-cubic ͑bcc͒ structure, which does not occur in nature, was realized by Prinz with epitaxial growth on a GaAs͑110͒ substrate. However, it was later pointed out by Liu and Singh that bcc Co is not a true metastable phase but a force-induced phase. 3The in-plane magnetic anisotropy of such a bcc Co thin film on GaAs͑110͒ was further determined and a negative value for the cubic anisotropy constant K 1 was proposed.2 If this were true, a fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy with easy axes along the ͗110͘ direction would then be expected in the bcc Co films on GaAs͑001͒ substrates. In fact, a fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy with the easy axes along the ͗100͘ rather than the ͗110͘ direction was observed by Blundell et al. 4 Interestingly, it was later argued by Gu et al. that Co films grown on GaAs͑001͒ were actually not bodycentered cubic but two-domain hexagonal close packed by which the fourfold magnetic anisotropy along the ͗100͘ direction could be explained by such a microstructure.5 Obviously, the epitaxial structure of Co on GaAs͑001͒ and its magnetic anisotropy are still very controversial. In this work, we present a clear picture of the epitaxial growth of Co on GaAs͑001͒, which clears up the previous controversy about the structure of Co thin films on GaAs͑001͒. With the help of this clear picture, we prove that the bcc Co films on GaAs͑001͒ show a fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy.Co films were grown in a molecular-beam epitaxy ͑MBE͒ growth chamber connected with the VG-ESCALAB-5 electron spectrometer system. The Te-doped GaAs͑001͒ singlecrystal wafers were polished and treated by ordinary device cleaning process. The final substrate cleaning w...

In a joint experimental and theoretical study, we investigate the bias-voltage dependence of the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) through a vacuum barrier. The TMR observed by spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy between an amorphous magnetic tip and a Co(0001) sample is almost independent of the bias voltage at large tip-sample separations. Whereas qualitative understanding is achieved by means of the electronic surface structure of Co, the experimental findings are compared quantitatively with bias-voltage dependent first-principles calculations for ballistic tunneling. At small tip-sample separations, a pronounced minimum in the experimental TMR was found at +200 mV bias.