Crystallographic and magneto-optical studies of nanoscaled MnSb dots grown on GaAs

MnSb ultrathin films with the nominal thickness of 0-1.40 nm were grown on sulfur passivated GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed that MnSb formed nanosize clusters on the substrate, and the coalescence of the clusters occurred at the nominal thickness between 0.70 and 1.05 nm. The intensity of the polar magnetic circular dichroism of MnSb clusters suddenly increased when the nominal thickness reached the critical value of 1.05 nm. The coalescence among the dots can be correlated with the sharp increase of the magnetic circular dichroism intensity. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)01013-5].