Structural versus magnetic properties at the surface of Fe films during oxygen-assisted homoepitaxial growth

The correlation between structural and magnetic properties at the surface of Fe films deposited on Fe(001)-p(1 X 1)O has been investigated in real time during growth by He reflectivity (R-He), spin polarized metastable deexcitation spectroscopy (SPMDS), and spin resolved adsorbed curve spectroscopy (ACS). Surface oxygen acts as a surfactant for Fe growth as demonstrated by the well-resolved oscillations of R-He. The asymmetries measured both by SPMDS and ACS, sensitive to the spin polarization of occupied and unoccupied density of states, respectively, oscillate in phase with R-He. This demonstrates a strict correlation between morphology and the intensity of magnetization at surface.