Texture, electronic and magnetic states of Mn atoms in polycrystalline MnSi thin films facing a c-sapphire substrate studied by soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Abstract

Polycrystalline MnSi is a highly efficient magnetic skyrmionic material and information carriers for future spintronic devices, deposited on a c-cut sapphire substrate by magnetron sputtering with a low base pressure. Due to their fascinating crystal structures and spin textures these Mn-based silicides are most extensively studied now a days. In order to study the appearance of any impure phases like MnxSiy, hysteresis behavior and the inception of ferromagnetic/superparamagnetic domains present in the MnSi film, we have performed X-ray diffraction (XRD), XRD pole figures in stereographic projection, vibrating sample magnetometry and powerful element specific X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism techniques. The room temperature hysteresis curve points towards the phenomenon of long-range ferromagnetic ordering. The Mn L2,3 edge XAS spectra did not show a Mn2+-like multiplet structure. The overall magnetization increases with the increase in applied magnetic field from 0.1 T to 2 T on MnSi thin film. The observed spin and orbital magnetic moments ∼ 0.03 ̶ 0.1 μB and 0.01 to 0.04 μB, respectively.