# In-situ Polarized Neutron Reflectometry: Epitaxial Thin Film Growth of Fe on Cu(001) by DC Magnetron Sputtering

## TL;DR

This study demonstrates in-situ polarized neutron reflectometry to analyze the microstructure and magnetic properties during the step-wise epitaxial growth of Fe on Cu(001), providing new insights into ultrathin iron film behavior.

## Contribution

First in-situ polarized neutron reflectometry analysis of epitaxial Fe growth on Cu(001), revealing microstructural and magnetic evolution during deposition.

## Key findings

- Microstructure and magnetic moments evolve progressively during growth.
- Results reproduce known features and extend understanding of ultrathin Fe films.
- In-situ analysis enables real-time insights into film development.

## Abstract

The step-wise growth of epitaxial Fe on Cu(001)/Si(001), investigated by in-situ polarized neutron reflectometry is presented. A sputter deposition system was integrated into the neutron reflectometer AMOR at the Swiss neutron spallation source SINQ, which enables the analysis of the microstructure and magnetic moments during all deposition steps of the Fe layer. We report on the progressive evolution of the accessible parameters describing the microstructure and the magnetic properties of the Fe film, which reproduce known features and extend our knowledge on the behavior of ultrathin iron films.