Layer selective magnetic moment distribution in an epitaxial double spin valve structure: Si[001]/Cu

We determine layer selectively the magnetic moments, spin orientations and thicknessess oP an epitaxial double spin valve structure, Si(00l)/Cn/FeNi/Cu/Co/Cu/FeNi/Cu, using Polarised Neutron Reflectivity (PNR). At saturation, the layer-averaged magnetic moment per CO atom was Pound to be 1.71 ± 0.08 μ, while the top (bottom) FeNi layer moment was 1.08 ± 0.06 μ_B (0.95 ± 0.08 μ_B). For an applied field strength H_a smaller than the c0 layer coercive field of ~100 Oe, the CO and FeNi layer magnetisation vectors are Pound to lie in-plane but canted with respect to each other in contrast to the fully antiparallel state predicted by simple energy minimisation. The observed canting is discussed with regard to the role of magnetic domains in the CO layer.