Magnetic properties and magneto-optical Kerr effect of Mn/Sb multilayer films on various substrates

Mn/Sb multilayer films were grown on GaAs (100), Si (100), sapphire (0001), and glass by an ultrahigh vacuum evaporation technique and subsequent annealing for a short duration. Magnetization measurements reveal strong room-temperature ferromagnetism even for unannealed films. After annealing the films show increased saturation magnetization M-s and decreased coercivity H-c. X-ray diffraction and magnetic force microscope patterns show a high-quality crystal structure of MnSb is formed and that the magnetic force distribution becomes uniform. Both polar and longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr rotations were observed for all the annealed films on various substrates and the dependence of the Kerr rotation angle on the magnetic field is similar to the magnetization hysteresis loop. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.