Growth and in-situ characterization of magnetic anisotropy of epitaxial Fe thin film on ion-sculpted Ag (001) substrate.

• Real time growth of Fe on Ag is monitored through RHEED. • Ion beam erosion induces morphology induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. • Coupled Cubic and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy leads to multi jump hysteresis loop. • Magnetic domain dynamics reveals magnetization reversal through 180° and 90° domain wall motion. Growth and magnetic characterization of Fe film on ion-sculpted Ag(0 0 1) substrate have been studied in-situ using reflection high energy electron diffraction and magneto-optical Kerr effect. Fe film is found to grow epitaxially on the Ag surface and exhibits epitaxial island formation up to ∼ 1 nm film thickness. Ion beam sculpting of the substrate surface, prior to the deposition of the Fe film, induces an uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in Fe film, which couples with the cubic four-fold anisotropy of bcc-Fe, lead to the multiple-step jump in magnetic hysteresis loops. Magnetic switching and its correlation with the domain dynamics of the film, as studied by the Kerr microscopy technique, revealed a striking difference in domain structure depending upon the direction of the applied magnetic field with respect to crystallographic direction. It is found that the magnetization reversal takes place via a "single-step jump" mechanism through sweeping of 180° domain walls, whereas the combination of coherent rotation and the sweeping of 90° domain walls is responsible for a "double step jump" magnetization reversal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]