Abstract
Fe/Si multilayers with Cr buffer layers have been grown on various substrates to manipulate the orientations by DC magnetron sputtering. The strength of interlayer coupling is determined by the orientation of the Fe layers, which can be attributed to the various silicide formations. The antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling is strongest in the multilayers with Fe(2 0 0) textures, which may be due to the formation of ε-FeSi silicides in spacers. α-FeSi 2 or mixed spacers may exist in Fe/Si multilayers with Fe(110) textures and polycrystalline films, which show large M r /M s ratios and small saturation fields. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.