The structural and magnetic properties of rf-sputtered Fe/V multilayers with the elemental Fe and
V layer thickness tFe = tV and with the structural modulation period A ranging from 2 nm to 24 nm have
been studied by high-angle x-ray diffraction, vibrating-sample magnetometry and conversion-electron
M??ssbauer spectrometry methods at room temperature. The results show that the Fe/V interfaces are
paramagnetic. The magnetic behaviour of the multilayers, hence, originates from the ?-Fe at the centres of
the individual subsystems and the iron-rich crystalline Fe(V) alloy lying near the interface. The spin
orientation in the Fe layers is strongly aligned in the film plane. However, evidence for a weak
perpendicular spin orientation associated with the magnetic topmost Fe layer is found.
