Electrochemically Prepared Fe/GaAs (110)

ORAL

Abstract

Iron has been deposited electrochemically on oriented, n-type GaAs (110) bulk substrates (2x10$^{17}$ Si) at various temperatures in aqueous electrolytes. The film structure, growth kinetics, and residual strain have been investigated via high-resolution x-ray diffraction, and the magnetic properties via SQUID and FMR measurements. The resulting films grow epitaxially with a small tensile strain of 5x10$^{-4}$ {\%} although the lattice mismatch (+1.4{\%}, $a $Fe $> \quad a$ (GaAs)) would predict a compressive strain in the Fe. The preparation of the GaAs surface using ammonium hydroxide, and an initial pulsed constant current power source during deposition, are critical to this result. The thickness versus square root time shows the expected diffusion-limited growth kinetics with an average growth rate of 100-200 nm/minute. The magnetization curves indicate that the film is composed of a single crystalline material with inhomogeneities aligned with the substrate. There is a superimposed uniaxial, anisotropy confirmed by the angular dependence of the FMR resonance field.

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Authors

  • Sarmita Majumder

    Dept. of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada

  • Ernest Henley

    Green River College, University of British Columbia, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, BYU-Idaho Dept. of Physics, University of Washington, Applied Physics Technologies, Inc., Montana State University, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Southern Oregon University, Oregon State University Department of Physics, Oregon State University Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research, Physics Department, Oregon State University, University of Idaho, University of Wyoming, Department of Physics, Montana State University, University of Portland, Idaho State University, WWU, Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oregon Center for Optics and Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Lewis and Clark, Queen's University, University of Notre Dame, Idaho National Lab, TRIUMF, RCNP, Japan, University of Guelph, Mexico University, St. Mary's University, University of Montreal, Deep River, Dept. of Physics; Montana State University, Dept. of Plant Sciences and Pathology, Dept. of Chem. and Biochem.; Montana State University, Department of Physics, Shandong University, P. R. China, Department of Physics, University of Idaho, USA, Dept. of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada, University of Calgary

  • Karen L. Kavanagh

    Dept. of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada, Simon Fraser University