Structural Profile of a MgO/Co/MgO Trilayer Using Soft X-ray Resonant Magnetic Reflectivity

Advances in Structural and Morphological Characterization of Thin Magnetic Films: A Review

“…The ability to tune the X-ray beam close to the atomic absorption edge available at synchrotron radiation facilities adds the possibility of exploiting the resonance effect for XRR (R-XRR) as well, adding a valuable degree of freedom useful to localize morphological features associated with specific atomic species in the sample. In Figure 6, the R-XRR effect observed measuring the XRR at different energies below, at and above the Co-L 2,3 edges in a MgO/Co/MgO trilayer system is evident [203]. The L 2,3 absorption edges of transition metals (and M 4,5 of rare earths) are associated with excitations of the core electrons in the 3d levels (4f of rare earths).…”

“…An example is presented in Figure 6 (right panel), in which the effect of XMCD provide differences in the reflected intensities measured with left (I − )-and right (I + )-hand-polarized beams with a large XRR difference, where ∆I = (I + − I − )/(I + + I − ). The contemporary analysis of several XRR patterns along with XMCD spectra permitted the authors to obtain an accurate characterization of the multilayer morphology, including the distribution of magnetic layers [87,[203][204][205] Overall, X-ray reflectivity is a valuable technique for interface characterization in thin films, providing crucial information about film thickness, density, composition, roughness, and interfacial structure. It is widely used in materials science, surface science, and thinfilm technology for understanding and optimizing thin-film properties and performance.…”

Resonant Soft X-ray Reflectivity in the Study of Magnetic Properties of Low-Dimensional Systems

“…RSXMR has been applied in prototypical studies: for example, to resolve the spin orientation structure of ultrathin fcc Fe films on Cu(001) [93,94]; to resolve the induced moment in uranium in U/Fe multilayers [95]; to probe the interlayer coupling in ferromagnetic/semiconductor multilayers [96]; and to measure the value of the magnetic moment, its orientation, and depth profiles in Fe/C [97], Gd/Fe [98][99][100], and Co/Mg [101] multilayers or in Cu/Fe/Cu trilayers on a semiconductor [102]. Carlomagno et al [103] investigated, through resonant X-ray reflectivity, the structural and magnetic properties of a MgO/Co/MgO trilayer, evidencing difference in Co oxidation and roughness between the bottom (Co on MgO) and top (MgO on Co) interfaces, which was reflected in an asymmetric magnetization profile for the Co layer.…”