Spin Seebeck effect in $\varepsilon$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ thin layer with high coercive field

TL;DR

This study investigates the spin Seebeck effect in high-coercivity $ ext{ε}$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ thin films, revealing a correlation between magnetic properties and spin Seebeck response with high coercive fields up to 11.6 kOe.

Contribution

It demonstrates the spin Seebeck effect in $ ext{ε}$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ thin layers with record-high coercive fields and analyzes the relationship between magnetic hysteresis and spin Seebeck signals.

Findings

High coercive field of 11.6 kOe in $ ext{ε}$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ layers.

Spin Seebeck loops mirror magnetization loops without constriction.

Presence of secondary ferrimagnetic phase affects magnetic but not spin Seebeck behavior.

Abstract

Spin Seebeck effect has been investigated in Pt/$\varepsilon$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ bilayers. The $\varepsilon$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ thin layer with $40-70$~nm thickness were deposited by a spin-coating method on Y:ZrO$_2$(100) substrates. The prepared layers are highly oriented with the easy magnetic $a$-axis parallel to the film surface. The magnetic hysteresis loops measured at room temperature with magnetic field parallel to the layer exhibit coercive fields up to 11.6~kOe, which is so far the highest value measured for $\varepsilon$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ thin layer samples. The shape of the spin Seebeck hysteresis loops is similar to the shape of magnetization for single phase layers with coercive field around 10~kOe. In some prepared layers a small amount of secondary soft ferrimagnetic phase is revealed by a constricted shape of magnetization loops, in contrast to spin Seebeck loops, where no constriction is observed. A difference in encountered in the case of layers with a small amount ($1-2$~volume\%) of secondary soft ferrimagnetic phase, which is revealed by a constricted shape of magnetization loops, in contrast to spin Seebeck loops, where no constriction is observed.