Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Magnetic x-ray circular dichroism in x-ray absorption has been used to investigate the ternary multilayer system, Fe Co Pt. Samples were prepared by planar magnetron sputter deposition and carefully characterized, using a variety of techniques such as grazing-incidence and high-angle x-ray scattering, Auger depth profiling and cross-section transmission electron microscopy. As previously reported, the Fe9.5Å Pt9.5Å exhibits a large dichroism in the Fe 2p absorption. Interestingly while the Co9.5Å Pt9.5Å has no measurable dichroism, the Fe4.7Å Co4.7Å Pt9.5Å sample has a dichroism at both the Fe 2p and Co 2p absorption edges. These and other results will be compared to slab calculation predictions. Possible explanations will be discussed.