Magnetic texturing of xenon-irradiated iron films studied by magnetic orientation Mossbauer spectroscopy

Modifications of magnetic properties upon heavy-ion irradiation have been recently investigated for films of ferromagnetic 3d-elements (Fe, Ni, Co) and alloys (permendur, permalloy), in relation to changes of their microstructure. Here we report on Xe-ion irradiation of a highly textured iron film prepared via pulsed-laser deposition on a MgO(100) single crystal and containing a thin Fe-57 marker layer for magnetic orientation Mossbauer spectroscopy (MOMS). We compare the results with those obtained for a polycrystalline Fe/Si(100) sample produced by electron evaporation and premagnetized before Xe-irradiation in a 300 Oe external field. Characterization of the samples also included magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).