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Abstract
Monitoring a magnetic state using thermal or electrical activation is mandatory for the development of new magnetic devices, for instance in heat or electrically assisted magnetic recording or room-temperature memory resistor. Compounds such as FeRh, which undergoes a magnetic transition from an antiferromagnetic state to a ferromagnetic state around 100 °C, are thus highly desirable. However, the mechanisms involved in the transition are still under debate. Here we use in situ heating and cooling electron holography to quantitatively map at the nanometre scale the magnetization of a cross-sectional FeRh thin film through the antiferromagnetic–ferromagnetic transition. Our results provide a direct observation of an inhomogeneous spatial distribution of the transition temperature along the growth direction. Most interestingly, a regular spacing of the ferromagnetic domains nucleated upon monitoring of the transition is also observed. Beyond these findings on the fundamental transition mechanisms, our work also brings insights for in operando analysis of magnetic devices.
Highlights
Monitoring a magnetic state using thermal or electrical activation is mandatory for the development of new magnetic devices, for instance in heat or electrically assisted magnetic recording or room-temperature memory resistor
In situ electron holography (EH) experiments were performed on a cross-sectional 50 nm thick FeRh film to fully investigate the magnetic transition mechanism at a nanometre scale, with the objective to unravel the different effects attributed to size and interfaces
We first demonstrate that the in situ experiment performed on the TEM specimen, that is, on a very small area, suitably reproduces the macroscopic magnetization loop measured at the antiferromagnetic state (AFM)–ferromagnetic state (FM) transition using vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM)
Summary
Monitoring a magnetic state using thermal or electrical activation is mandatory for the development of new magnetic devices, for instance in heat or electrically assisted magnetic recording or room-temperature memory resistor Compounds such as FeRh, which undergoes a magnetic transition from an antiferromagnetic state to a ferromagnetic state around 100 °C, are highly desirable. We first demonstrate that the in situ experiment performed on the TEM specimen, that is, on a very small area, suitably reproduces the macroscopic magnetization loop measured at the AFM–FM transition using vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) Comparing these local and macroscopic results enables us to provide essential information on the TEM specimen, and on the effect of focused ion beam thinning (FIB) preparation.
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