Growth mode and matrix effects on the magneto-optical activity of ultrathin films

The magneto-optical activity of Fe nanoparticulate systems is studied in this work as a function of the matrix that surrounds the particles and the Fe concentration in the effective layer. It is shown that the magneto-optical activity is not linear or proportional to the amount of Fe even at low coverages when the matrix surrounding the particles is an insulator. As a conclusion, it is also demonstrated that the magneto-optical response of a magnetic ultrathin film system strongly depends on its growth mode, with modifications of up to 100% in its magneto-optical activity. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.