Investigation of the SiO2(Co)/GaAs heterostructures using the surface scattering of synchrotron radiation

The giant injection magnetoresistive effect has been observed in a granulated Co/SiO₂ film on a semiconductor GaAs substrate in a narrow temperature range near T = 300 K. According to the existing theory, the nature of the effect is due to the structure and physical problems of the interface layer. The spatial distribution of cobalt nanoparticles in the bulk of the Co/SiO₂ granular film and at the granular film/semiconductor substrate (GF/SS) interface has been investigated by the reflectometry and small-angle scattering of synchrotron radiation in the grazing geometry. It has been shown that the characteristic average distance between the cobalt granules in the bulk of the film is 7.3 nm. At the same time, the average distance between the granules with a vertical size of about 7.5 nm at the GF/SS interface is 32 nm. The experimental data indicate the low concentration of cobalt at the interface and the point character of the contact of the main bulk of the Co/SiO₂ film with the GaAs substrate through a relatively diluted layer of ferromagnetic cobalt granules.