CO adsorption effects on the magnetism and surface structure of Fe/Cu(001)

Abstract

Effects of CO adsorption on the magnetic properties of Fe films on Cu(001) were studied at 100 K as a function of the film thickness. CO adsorption does not affect the magnetic property of 2 ML Fe film but induces the spin reorientation transition from perpendicular to in-plane magnetization for 4 ML Fe film. It also causes the apparent decrease of magnetization, which is attributed to the reduction in surface magnetization by analyses of depth-resolved XMCD spectra. The reduction of the magnetization can be originated from a reconstruction of the surface structure of the films. It was suggested that the surface structures of the 4 ML Fe film are changed to a bcc-like structure upon CO adsorption, while the structure of the 2 ML Fe film could not change by CO adsorption because its magnetization is unchanged. © 2008 The Surface Science Society of Japan.