Magnetism and morphology of Ni/Cu(100) and Ni-Fe-Ni/Cu(100) ultrathin films

Ni films and Ni–Fe–Ni trilayers on Cu(1 0 0) have been grown and characterized in situ in their structure andmorphology. The magnetic properties have been investigated ex situ using MOKE. It is found that the magnetization isout-of-plane for both systems and that the presence of the Fe interlayer favors the in-plane reorientation. The effect ofthe Fe layer is interpreted on the basis of the competition between perpendicular interface and dipolar anisotropies. Amethod based on the coercive field for the orientation of the magnetization is presented.r 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.