Magnetism and superconductivity in neodymium/lanthanum superlattices

A single-crystal Nd30La10 superlattice grown using molecular beam epitaxy is found to consist of alternating antiferromagnetic and superconducting layers at low temperature. The superlattice has the DHCP crystal structure, and the stacking sequence of close-packed planes is coherent over many bilayers. Magnetization studies reveal the onset of superconductivity at a temperature comparable to bulk DHCP La, and the results suggest coupling across the antiferromagnetic Nd layers. The magnetic structures, investigated using neutron diffraction techniques, resemble those found in bulk Nd. For the cubic sites of the DHCP structure the magnetic order is confined to individual Nd blocks. However, the magnetic order on the Nd hexagonal sites propagates coherently through the La, even when it becomes superconducting. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.