Determination of the resistivity anisotropy of SrRuO$_{3}$ by measuring the planar Hall effect

TL;DR

This study measures the planar Hall effect in SrRuO3 thin films to determine resistivity anisotropy, revealing small intrinsic anisotropy present across a wide temperature range, independent of magnetic effects.

Contribution

It introduces a method to quantify resistivity anisotropy in SrRuO3 using planar Hall effect measurements, highlighting the presence of nonmagnetic anisotropic sources.

Findings

SrRuO3 exhibits small resistivity anisotropy from 2 to 300 K.

Resistivity anisotropy has both magnetic and nonmagnetic origins.

The two sources of anisotropy have competing effects.

Abstract

We have measured the planar Hall effect in epitaxial thin films of the itinerant ferromagnet SrRuO3 patterned with their current paths at different angles relative to the crystallographic axes. Based on the results, we have determined that SrRuO3 exhibits small resistivity anisotropy in the entire temperature range of our measurements (between 2 to 300 K); namely, both above and below its Curie temperature (~150 K). It means that in addition to anisotropy related to magnetism, the resistivity anisotropy of SrRuO3 has an intrinsic, nonmagnetic source. We have found that the two sources of anisotropy have competing effects.