In situ investigation of ultrathin Fe/Cu(110) films by Brillouin light scattering

A compact ultrahigh-vacuum chamber, specially designed to allow in situ Brillouin light-scattering ~BLS! and surface magneto-optical Kerr-effect measurements has been set up. Experimental results relative to both the structure and the magnetic properties of ultrathin Fe films grown by e-beam evaporation on a Cu~110! single crystal are presented. Low-energy electron diffraction patterns account for epitaxial growth of fcc Fe~110! up to 4-6 Å, followed by a transition to a more disordered state, consisting of bcc Fe domains. The BLS analysis enabled us to study the dependence of the spin-wave frequency on the angle of incidence of light, on the intensity of the magnetic field, and on its direction on the surface plane.