Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Co$_2$Fe$_{0.4}$Mn$_{0.6}$Si

TL;DR

This study demonstrates perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in a Co2Fe0.4Mn0.6Si Heusler alloy within a specific trilayer structure, revealing tunable magnetic properties relevant for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It reports the observation of PMA in CFMS thin films within a MgO/CFMS/Pd stack, highlighting the necessity of both layers and the tunability of magnetic effects.

Findings

PMA observed for CFMS thicknesses between 1 and 2 nm

Magnetic anisotropy energy density of 1.5×10^6 erg/cm^3 at 1.5 nm thickness

Tunable anomalous Hall effect with variable sign and magnitude

Abstract

We report perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in the half-metallic ferromagnetic Heusler alloy Co$_2$Fe$_{0.4}$Mn$_{0.6}$Si (CFMS) in a MgO/CFMS/Pd trilayer stack. PMA is found for CFMS thicknesses between 1 and 2 nm, with a magnetic anisotropy energy density of $K_U = 1.5\times 10^6$ erg/cm$^3$ for t$_{\tiny \textrm{CFMS}} = 1.5$ nm. Both the MgO and Pd layer are necessary to induce the PMA. We measure a tunable anomalous Hall effect, where its sign and magnitude vary with both the CFMS and Pd thickness.