Magnetostrictive effect in single crystal Fe1−xGax thin films

Abstract

The magnetic properties of single crystal Fe1−xGax thin films deposited on ZnSe/GaAs(001) and MgO(001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry and angle dependent ferromagnetic resonance. Depositions on the ZnSe buffer layer feature a strong uniaxial anisotropy that scales with the thin film magnetostriction of the samples, while depositions on MgO(001) substrates result in a purely cubic anisotropy whose cubic anisotropy constant, K1, switches sign at a lower Ga concentration than is seen in bulk.

Magnetotransport properties of Fe0.8Ga0.2 films with stripe domains

“…Fe 1−x Ga x alloys have been widely studied in the past decade due to their relatively high magnetostriction coefficient, roughly 10 times larger than that for iron, at moderate magnetic fields [1]. In recent years, Fe 1−x Ga x magnetostrictive films have been studied in thin film form, deposited either by sputtering [2][3][4], molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) [5][6][7], electrodeposition [8], or specially designed techniques [9,10]. Interesting applications in devices based on Fe 1−x Ga x films have been proposed, like microwave filters [7] or magnetic field sensors [2,3].…”

“…Interesting applications in devices based on Fe 1−x Ga x films have been proposed, like microwave filters [7] or magnetic field sensors [2,3]. The structure and magnetic properties of MBEgrown Fe 1−x Ga x films were thoroughly studied [5,6] and some remarkable differences compared to the bulk material were found. In particular, magnetic domains with stripe geometry were observed in films with thickness above a threshold value that depends on Ga concentration [11].…”

Electronic and magnetic structure ofGaxFe1−xthin films

“…In bulk form, Ga x Fe 1−x exhibits extraordinary magnetostrictive properties as function of composition implying a strong dependence of the underlying spin-orbit coupling on x [1][2][3]. Ga x Fe 1−x thin films [4][5][6] are therefore an ideal candidate to study the composition dependence of the magnetic anisotropy and to correlate this with its electronic structure.…”