Structural, magnetic and electrical properties of sputter deposited Mn-Fe-Ga thin films

TL;DR

This study explores the structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of sputter-deposited Mn-Fe-Ga thin films, revealing how composition and substrates influence phase, surface qualities, and magnetic behavior, with potential implications for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how stoichiometry and substrate choice affect phase formation and magnetic properties of Mn-Fe-Ga thin films.

Findings

Crystallinity confirmed via x-ray diffraction

Perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy observed

Buffer layers improve magnetic switching sharpness

Abstract

We investigated structural, magnetic and electrical properties of sputter deposited Mn-Fe-Ga compounds. The crystallinity of the Mn-Fe-Ga thin films was confirmed using x-ray diffraction. X-ray reflection and atomic force microscopy measurements were utilized to investigate the surface properties, roughness, thickness and density of the deposited Mn-Fe-Ga. Depending on the stoichiometry, as well as the used substrates (SrTiO3 (001) and MgO (001)) or buffer layer (TiN) the Mn-Fe-Ga crystallizes in the cubic or the tetragonally distorted phase. Anomalous Hall effect and alternating gradient magnetometry measurements confirmed strong perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Low saturation magnetization and hard magnetic behavior was reached by tuning the composition. Temperature dependent anomalous Hall effect measurements in a closed cycle He-cryostat showed a slight increase in coercivity with decreasing temperature (300K to 2K). TiN buffered Mn2.7Fe0.3Ga revealed sharper switching of the magnetization compared to the unbuffered layers.