title: Iron oxidation, interfacial expansion, and buckling at the Fe/NiO(001) interface.
abstract: In order to provide a structural basis for a physical understanding of exchange bias in metal/magnetic-oxide interfaces, we have determined the structure of the Fe/NiO(001) interface by means of x-ray absorption spectroscopy and ab initio density functional theory calculations. A Fe-Ni alloyed phase on top of an interfacial FeO planar layer is formed. The FeO layer exhibits a 7% expanded interlayer distance and a 0.3 A buckling; its presence is predicted to increase the spin magnetic moment of the interface Fe atoms by 0.6 mu(B), compared to the ideally abrupt interface.
authors.affiliation: S3, CNR-INFM, Via G. Campi 213/a , I-41100 Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Luches
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bellini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Colonna
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Giustino
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Manghi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valeri
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boscherini