High quality epitaxial Mn2Au (001) thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Bommanaboyena SP, Bergfeldt T, Heller R, Klaeui M, Jourdan M (2020)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2020

Journal

Journal of Applied Physics AIP Publishing

Book Volume: 127

Article Number: 243901

Journal Issue: 24

DOI: 10.1063/5.0009566

Abstract

The recently discovered phenomenon of Néel spin-orbit torque in antiferromagnetic Mn2Au [Bodnar et al., Nat. Commun. 9, 348 (2018); Meinert et al., Phys. Rev. Appl. 9, 064040 (2018); Bodnar et al., Phys. Rev. B 99, 140409(R) (2019)] has generated huge interest in this material for spintronics applications. In this paper, we report the preparation and characterization of high quality Mn2Au thin films by molecular beam epitaxy and compare them with magnetron sputtered samples. The films were characterized for their structural and morphological properties using reflective high-energy electron diffraction, x-ray diffraction, x-ray reflectometry, atomic force microscopy, and temperature dependent resistance measurements. The thin film composition was determined using both inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry techniques. The MBE-grown films were found to show a superior smooth morphology and a low defect concentration, resulting in reduced scattering of the charge carriers.

Involved external institutions

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) DE Germany (DE) Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) DE Germany (DE) Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Bommanaboyena, S.P., Bergfeldt, T., Heller, R., Klaeui, M., & Jourdan, M. (2020). High quality epitaxial Mn2Au (001) thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Journal of Applied Physics, 127(24). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0009566

MLA:

Bommanaboyena, S. P., et al. "High quality epitaxial Mn2Au (001) thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy." Journal of Applied Physics 127.24 (2020).

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