Enhanced moments in bcc Co1−xMnx on MgO(001)

A 40% enhancement of the Co magnetic moment has been found for thin films of bcc Co1−xMnx grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a 2 nm bcc Fe buffer layer on MgO(001). Although the bcc phase cannot be stabilized in the bulk, we confirm that it is stable as an epitaxial film in the composition range x=0-0.7. Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we show that the Co moment is a maximum of 2.38 μB at x=0.24, while the net Mn moment remains roughly constant until x=0.24, then drops steadily. Mn is found to align parallel with Co for all ferromagnetic concentrations, up to x=0.7, where the total moment of the film abruptly collapses to zero, most likely due to the onset of the observed structural instability.