Anisotropic-Strain Control of The Magnetic Structure in Mn\textsubscript{3}GaN

TL;DR

This study uses first principles calculations to map how anisotropic biaxial strain influences the magnetic phases of Mn3GaN, revealing tunable magnetic transitions and magnetization directions relevant for thin film applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive phase diagram showing magnetic phase transitions under various anisotropic strain conditions, including combinations of tensile and compressive strains.

Findings

Multiple strain combinations induce ferro- or ferrimagnetic transitions.

Anisotropic strain can tune the direction of net magnetization.

Strain conditions extend beyond uniform compression or tension to include uniaxial and mixed strains.

Abstract

A first principles study is conducted to explore the changes in the magnetic structure of Mn\textsubscript{3}GaN under anisotropic biaxial strain. Mn\textsubscript{3}GaN is an antiperovskite with a structure similar to that of an ideal cubic perovskite. Several manganese nitride antiperovskites including Mn\textsubscript{3}GaN were reported to have a frustrated noncollinear antiferromagnetic structure. Successful electric switching of its magnetic structure has been reported. Furthermore, despite a cubic lattice symmetry, the magnetic symmetry is rhombohedral, allowing a piezomagnetic response. Tensile biaxial strain has been shown to produce a net magnetic moment by inducing in-plane spin canting. Compressive biaxial strain has been used to induce a spin-polarized ferro- or ferrimagnetic phase. In this study, anisotropic strain in the (001) plane is applied, outlining a magnetic phase diagram that can predict the properties when growing Mn\textsubscript{3}GaN thin films on noncubic substrates. The lattice vectors along the a and b crystallographic axes are strained by -5\% to 5\% in percentwise increments in all permutations. An extensive phase diagram is mapped, revealing multiple combinations of strain applied to the two lattice vectors that result in a ferro- or ferrimagnetic transition. Unlike previous results, not only strictly compressive strain on both lattice vectors, but combinations of tensile and compressive strain, as well as uniaxial strain, are seen producing the magnetic phase transitions. Furthermore, while biquadratic strain was seen producing a net moment in the [110] direction under tensile strain and [\bar{1}\bar{1}0] under compressive strain, anisotropic strain allows tuning the direction of the net magnetization.