title: Metallic-type oscillatory interlayer exchange coupling across an epitaxial FeSi spacer.
abstract: We study interlayer exchange coupling in epitaxial Fe/Fe(0.56)Si(0.44)/Fe trilayers. Iron-silicide spacers with high structural and compositional homogeneity for thicknesses up to 34 A are grown by coevaporation from two electron-beam sources. The coupling strength oscillates with spacer thickness for temperatures from 20 to 300 K with two antiferromagnetic maxima at 12 and 26 A, and it clearly increases with decreasing temperature down to 80 K. We conclude that the coupling across ordered Fe(1-x)Si(x) ( x approximately 0.5) is described by the conventional theory of interlayer coupling across metallic spacers.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, D-52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Gareev
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Bürgler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buchmeier
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olligs
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grünberg