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Abstract: This work demonstrates the sensitivity of magneto-optical Kerr-effect (MOKE) spectroscopy to ultra-thin nonmagnetic films using the example of copper oxide. The films with an effective thickness between 0.6nm and 6nm are produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on silicon oxide substrates based on the Cu(I) β-diketonate precursor [( n Bu3P)2Cu(acac)] (acac=acetylacetonate) at a process temperature of 120°C. The copper oxide films exhibit magneto-optical activity in the spectral ranges around 2.6eV and above 4eV. The evolution of the spectral features as a function of the number of ALD cycles is simulated numerically using the dielectric function and the Voigt constant of Cu2O as input parameters. The comparison between experimental and simulated MOKE spectra strengthens the conclusion drawn from spectroscopic ellipsometry studies that the thin film optical constants differ markedly from the bulk ones. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is a diamagnetic p-type semiconductor material, considered to be highly attractive for the rapidly emerging field of oxide electronics. In this work Cu2O layers with various thicknesses were produced by atomic layer deposition to form heterostructures with ferromagnetic layers of Ni as model systems for potential spintronic devices. The magnetic properties of the heterostructures were investigated by magneto-optical Kerr effect spectroscopy and magnetometry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]