MAGNETOOPTICAL PROPERTIES OF SPIN-POLARIZED PALLADIUM

Thin films of PdxFe1-x(0 less-than-or-equal-to x less-than-or-equal-to 0.94) were characterized by magnetization, transport and Kerr-loop measurements, X-ray diffraction and Auger depth profiling. X-ray photoemission and optical and magneto-optical spectroscopy were used to study the spin-polarized band structure. We find that spin-polarized Pd is characterized by an off-diagonal conductivity tensor element sigma-approximately xy of the same order of magnitude as Fe or Co in spite of the low magnetic moment of only 0.35-mu-B/Pd. The energy dependence of the 4d contribution to sigma-approximately xy is completely different compared to the 3d contribution known from Fe and Co. In the 0.6-5 eV energy range, we find one prominent structure with a diamagnetic line shape, i.e. a peak in sigma-1xy centered around 1.9 eV and a corresponding double structure in sigma-2xy. Both this shape of sigma-approximately xy and the resonance energy of about 1.9 eV may be interpreted in terms of a simple Stoner picture. For 'in depth' understanding, 3d-4d hybridization effects have to be considered. The conduction electron contribution to sigma-approximately xy shows as a function of Pd content a change in sign around x = 0.8 with opposite sign compared to Fe for x > 0.8. The amplitude, however, is negligible.