SEGREGATION BEHAVIOR FOR CO-CU MULTILAYERS

The segregation behavior of Co-Cu multilayers has been studied using 1-5 monolayers of cobalt and copper on a Cu(111) substrate. Substrate and overlayer-multilayer orders were confirmed using reflection high energy electron diffraction. Segregation and interdiffusion behavior were observed using Auger electron spectroscopy. The results indicate that well-ordered Co/Cu heterostructures can be grown epitaxially on Cu(111); the growth mode is predominantly layer by layer. Cobalt on Cu(111) exhibits an interdiffusion temperature of 250-275-degrees-C, while Cu/Co/Cu(111) bilayers and heterostructures exhibit an interdiffusion temperature of 500-550-degrees-C. The consequences of this segregation behavior for fabricating magnetic multilayers will be discussed.