Magnetic linear dichroism studies of epitaxial CoO/NiO/MgO(001) system

Antiferromagnetic (AFM) CoO/NiO thin films are grown epitaxially on MgO(001) substrate and investigated by x-ray linear dichroism (XLD). Temperature-dependent measurement confirms that the observed XLD effect in this system originates entirely from the magnetic ordering. The temperature-dependent XMLD measurement indicates that the exchange coupling at the CoO/NiO interface can greatly enhance the Neeltemperature of the CoO layer. The XASof NiL2 edge shows the spin of the NiO in the system is in-plane.