Spin-polarized electron scattering studies of the ferromagnetic glass ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{81.5}$${\mathrm{B}}_{14.5}$${\mathrm{Si}}_4$

Low-energy [(20-500)-eV] spin-polarized electrons were used to probe the magnetic surface properties of the ferromagnetic metallic glass ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{81.5}$ ${\mathrm{B}}_{14.5}$ ${\mathrm{Si}}_4$. The spin-independent intensity and the spin-dependent asymmetry of the elastic scattering were measured as a function of applied magnetic field, electron energy, scattering angle, and angle of incidence. The scattering is liquidlike with no crystalline diffraction effects. Comparisons are made with scattering from the magnetic glass ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{40}$ ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{40}$ ${\mathrm{B}}_{20}$ and an iron single crystal. Surface hysteresis curves as measured by the spin-dependent elastic scattering are very sensitive to ion-sputtering damage and to subsequent annealing. The asymmetry of the inelastic scattering was also measured for various primary energies and was found to closely resemble the elastic scattering asymmetry.