Abstract
We investigated the magnetic structure in epitaxial Fe films on GaAs(001) by taking advantage of planar Hall effect combining with static and dynamic magnetization measurements. The depth dependence of the magnetic structure was evidenced as a result of competition between in-plane interfacial uniaxial and bulk cubic magnetic anisotropies. The competing results exposed by these techniques allow us to image a spiral magnetic structure nearby the interface of the Fe/GaAs(001) system. This work provides an insight for electrical and magnetic properties in an ultrathin hybrid ferromagnet/non-magnet system.
Highlights
It has been found that ultrathin Fe films on GaAs(001) exhibit a remarkable in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA) with an easy axis parallel to [110] direction due to the anisotropic nature of the interfacial Fe-GaAs(001) bonding, while thicker Fe films present a cubic magnetic anisotropy (CMA) with easy axes along [100] and [010] or that superimposed on a UMA.11–13
It means with increasing film thickness a change of the anisotropy axis from UMA along [110] to CMA along [100] and [010] takes place
The description like a gradual orientation transition as a result of competition between interfacial UMA and bulk CMA with increasing Fe thickness has been mentioned,12 the resultant magnetic structure holding with single domain or multidomains, which substantially affect the magnetic and transport properties of the Fe films, remains unclear
Summary
Recent investigations on Fe/GaAs(001) heterostructure suggest the interface-influenced magnetic facts offer a tremendous opportunity for fundamental as well as applied research.1,2 The epitaxial Fe films on GaAs(001) were first reported by Waldrop and Grant for a fundamental understanding of metal-semiconductor electronics.3 Interest in the Fe/GaAs(001) heterostructure has increased strikingly over the last three decades mostly because of the emergence of semiconductor spintronics.4–6 Recently, interest in this heterostructure has been revived for spin–orbit electronics, in view of the existence of interfacial spin–orbit fields.7–9 Central to these innovative developments in this material hybrid system has been progress in the understanding of its properties which is strongly influenced by the interface details,1,2,10 in order to update conventional electronics along with physics by introducing and exploiting the state of electron spin as an exciting new device parameter. Interface-induced spiral magnetic structure of epitaxial Fe films on GaAs(001)
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