Strain and thickness effects on magnetocrystalline anisotropy of CoFe(011) films

TL;DR

This study examines how strain and thickness influence the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of CoFe(011) thin films, revealing that strain modifies the easy axis and MCA energy through electronic structure changes.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the strain-dependent behavior of MCA in CoFe(011) films, linking electronic structure features to magnetic anisotropy variations.

Findings

Perpendicular MCA energy increases with compressive strain.

In-plane MCA becomes an easy axis under tensile strain.

Electronic structure explains MCA behavior changes.

Abstract

We investigate MCA of CoFe(011) thin films as a function of strength of strain and film thickness has been studied. It is elucidated that perpendicular magnetocystalline anisotropy (MCA) energy (EMCA) is getting stronger with compressed xy-plane lattice constant while in-plane MCA is become an easy-axis by tensile strain on xy-plane. The reason of the EMCA behaviors can be explained by features of electronic structures.