Strain-driven non-collinear magnetic ordering in orthorhombic epitaxial YMnO3 thin films

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that epitaxial strain in orthorhombic YMnO3 thin films induces and tunes ferromagnetic responses by breaking antiferromagnetic order, revealing strain as a key factor in magnetic property manipulation.

Contribution

It reveals that strain-driven magnetic canting causes ferromagnetism in orthorhombic YMnO3 films, a novel insight into strain effects on magnetic ordering.

Findings

Ferromagnetism can be tuned via epitaxial strain and chemical pressure.

Strain induces magnetic canting, increasing ferromagnetic response.

Ferromagnetic canting angle reaches up to ~1.2 degrees.

Abstract

We show that using epitaxial strain and chemical pressure in orthorhombic YMnO3 and Co-substituted (YMn0.95Co0.05O3) thin films, a ferromagnetic response can be gradually introduced and tuned. These results, together with the measured anisotropy of the magnetic response, indicate that the unexpected observation of ferromagnetism in orthorhombic o-RMnO3 (R= Y, Ho, Tb, etc) films originates from strain-driven breaking of the fully compensated magnetic ordering by pushing magnetic moments away from the antiferromagnetic [010] axis. We show that the resulting canting angle and the subsequent ferromagnetic response, gradually increase (up to ~ 1.2\degree) by compression of the unit cell. We will discuss the relevance of these findings, in connection to the magnetoelectric response of orthorhombic manganites.