Critical steps in the molecular beam epitaxy of high quality Ag/Fe superlattices on (001) GaAs

Abstract
It is shown that high quality Ag/Fe superlattices can be grown on (001) GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy, provided that adequate intermediate layers are interposed between the GaAs substrate and the superlattice structure. In addition to the growth of a GaAs buffer layer, a sufficiently thick Fe nucleation layer is necessary for the further growth of a high quality Ag buffer layer showing clear reflection high-energy electron diffraction intensity oscillations. This growth sequence ensures the obtention of single-crystal Ag/Fe superlattices with well-defined interfaces.