Magnetostrictive effect in single crystal Fe1−xGax thin films

Abstract

The magnetic properties of single crystal Fe1−xGax thin films deposited on ZnSe/GaAs(001) and MgO(001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry and angle dependent ferromagnetic resonance. Depositions on the ZnSe buffer layer feature a strong uniaxial anisotropy that scales with the thin film magnetostriction of the samples, while depositions on MgO(001) substrates result in a purely cubic anisotropy whose cubic anisotropy constant, K1, switches sign at a lower Ga concentration than is seen in bulk.