Field dependent magnetic anisotropy of Ga0.2Fe0.8 thin films

Abstract

Using longitudinal MOKE in combination with a variable strength rotating magnetic field, called the rotational MOKE (ROTMOKE) method, we show that the magnetic anisotropy for a Ga0.2Fe0.8 single crystal film with a thickness of 17 nm, grown on GaAs (001) with a thick ZnSe buffer layer, depends linearly on the strength of the applied magnetic field. The torque moment curves generated using ROTMOKE are well fit with a model that accounts for the uniaxial, cubic, or fourfold anisotropy, as well as additional terms with a linear dependence on the applied magnetic field. The uniaxial and cubic anisotropy fields, taken from both the hard and the easy axis scans, are seen to remain field independent. The field dependent terms are evidence of a large affect of the magnetostriction and its contribution to the effective magnetic anisotropy in GaxFe1−x thin films.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2011
Source ID
10.1063/1.3563122

Entities

People

  • A. Mcclure
  • C. M. Kuster
  • Damon A. Resnick
  • P. Rugheimer
  • Y. U. Idzerda

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • Carroll University
  • Montana State University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Nanofabrication and Microfabrication.
  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics
  • Powder metallurgy of Titanium alloys.