Magnetic rare earth superlattices

Abstract

Advances in molecular beam epitaxy deposition techniques have recently made it possible to grow, an atomic plane at a time, single crystalline superlattices composed of alternating layers of a magnetic rare earth, such as Gd, Dy, Ho, or Er, and metallic Y, which has an identical chemical structure. The primary goal of this article is to review the new and interesting magnetic structures which have been discovered in these novel superlattice systems and to consider what implications the observed phases have on our understanding of the underlying microscopic magnetic interactions. In particular, the effects of the artificial periodicity or compositional modulation, finite layer thickness, and epitaxial strain on the resulting long range magnetic order of Gd-Y, Dy-Y, Ho-Y, Er-Y, and Gd-Dy superlattices are described.