K-edge x-ray dichroism investigation of Fe_1-xCo_xSi: Experimental evidence for spin polarization crossover

Both Fe and Co K-edge x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) have been employed as element-specific probes of the magnetic moments in the composition series of the disordered ferromagnet Fe_1-xCo_xSi (for x=0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5). A definitive single peaked XMCD profile occurs for all compositions at both Fe and Co K-edges. The Fe 4p orbital moment, deduced from the integral of the XMCD signal, has a steep dependence on x at low doping levels and evolves to a different (weaker) dependence at x0.3, similar to the behavior of the magnetization in the Co composition range studied here. It is systematically higher, by at least a factor of two, than the corresponding Co orbital moment for most of the composition series. Fine structure beyond the K-edge absorption (limited range EXAFS) suggests that the local order (atomic environment) is very similar across the series, from the perspective of both the Fe and Co absorbing atom. The variation in the XMCD integral across the Co composition range has two regimes, that which occurs below x=0.3 and then evolves to different behavior at higher doping levels. This is more conspicuously present in the Fe contribution. This is rationalized as the evolution from a half-metallic ferromagnet at low Co doping to that of a strong ferromagnet at x>0.3 and as such, spin polarization crossover occurs. The Fermi level is tuned from the majority spin band for x<0.3 where a strongly polarized majority spin electron gas prevails, to a regime where minority spin carriers dominate at higher doping. The evolution of the Fe-derived spin polarized (3d) bands, indirectly probed here via the 4p states, is the primary determinant of the doping dependence of the magnetism in this alloy series.