The effect of interfacial steps on the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface of thin Fe films on Cr[001]

The effect of regular interfacial steps on the magnetic properties of ultrathin Fe films grown on Cr[001] is studied by using a curved Cr[001] substrate. Independent of the Fe-Cr interaction, the steps introduce a uniaxial anisotropy which favors an easy axis parallel to the step edges. For certain values of the vicinal angle, the Fe-Cr interaction can overcome the effect of the step-induced anisotropy and align the easy axis perpendicular to the step edges.