Abstract
Combining perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) with half-metallicity (HM) in thin-film geometry may provide additional functionalities for spintronic devices. However, such combination may be a challenging task, since HM is usually destroyed in thin-film geometry (e.g., due to the emergence of surface states), while PMA is most pronounced in reduced geometry, because of the contribution from surface anisotropy. Here, we explore the nature of PMA in thin-film full Heusler alloy Co2MnSi. This material is one of the first compounds for which half-metallic electronic structure was experimentally confirmed. In addition, it has been reported that this alloy may exhibit PMA in thin-film geometry. Here, by analyzing site-projected magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE), we confirm that both PMA and surface half-metallicity are very sensitive to the termination surface and mechanical strain. In particular, while MnSi-termination under compressive strain may retain both 100% spin-polarization and out-of-plane magnetization orientation, Co-termination has a detrimental impact on both. These results may serve as a guide for practical nano-device applications in the field of spintronics.This research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant Numbers 2003828 and 2003856 via DMR and EPSCoR.
Published Version
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