Induced V magnetic polarization effects in V/Fe/V trilayers

Understanding magnetic interactions at interfaces between nonmagnetic and magnetic elements and in some cases magnetic polarization of non-magnetic elements at these interfaces is a challenging topic. In addition these phenomena are interesting also due to their potential application in magneto-optical (MO) data storage devices and sensors. In the case of Fe/V interfaces, a fundamental question is the effect of interdiffusion on the magnetic moments of the intervening elements at the interface. Here, we present a structural, morphological and magnetic study of a V/Fe/V trilayer. While no significant diffusion of V into the Fe film was observed with x ray reflectometry (XRR) and polarized neutrons reflectometry (PNR), x ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and x ray resonant magnetic scattering (XRMS) measurements reveal V magnetic polarization at both Fe/V interfaces. The magnetization profile in the Fe and V films was obtained by XRMS and will be compared with that obtained with PNR. Our results show the complementarity of these techniques to further clarify V polarization phenomena in Fe/V interfaces.