Effect of the Cu capping layer on the magnetic anisotropy of Ni/Cu(100)

Ni films were grown on flat and vicinal Cu(100), and were studied by the in situ surface magnetic-optical Kerr effect. Cu capping layers on the top of the Ni film modifies the Ni magnetic anisotropy, thus to increase the spin reorientation transition thickness. We show that it takes about ∼5 monolayers of the Cu capping layer to finish the modification of the Ni magnetic anisotropy. No oscillatory behavior was found in the Ni magnetic anisotropy as a function of the Cu capping layer thickness. With a systematic study on the vicinal surfaces, we found that the effect of the Cu capping layer is independent of the vicinal angle.