- Editors' Suggestion
- Letter
Bulk and surface uniformity of magnetic and electronic structures in epitaxial films revealed by fluorescence- and electron-yield x-ray magnetic circular dichroism
Phys. Rev. B 110, L060412 – Published 29 August, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.110.L060412
Abstract
The chiral kagome antiferromagnet has drawn extensive attention for its robust ferromagneticlike responses despite minimal magnetization, and the fabrication of epitaxial bilayer has unveiled unique spintronics functionalities. However, it remains unclear whether the chiral antiferromagnetic order extends throughout the layer in these multilayers. Here, we perform x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements on a epitaxial thin film grown on a W underlayer and capped with an MgO overlayer, utilizing both the bulk-sensitive fluorescence-yield mode and the surface-sensitive electron-yield mode. Our analysis reveals that the x-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectra obtained from each mode exhibit remarkable congruence, suggesting uniform electronic structures across the entire film thickness and the absence of ferromagnetic inclusions. Furthermore, the XMCD hysteresis loop obtained with the fluorescence-yield mode exhibits a more squarelike profile compared to those obtained with the electron-yield mode and magneto-optical Kerr effect. This indicates minimal domain pinning centers in the bulk region or near the bottom interface. These findings underscore the intrinsic nature of spin-torque-related phenomena observed in previous studies, affirming their association with the chiral antiferromagnetic spin structure of .