Thin film’s magnetostriction investigated by strain modulated ferromagnetic resonance at low temperature

Abstract

The novel experimental setup for measurements of magnetostriction of thin films in the temperature range starting from 4.2 K up to the room temperature, using the strain modulated ferromagnetic resonance phenomenon, is presented. The sample under investigation is fixed at the anti-node of vibrations of the longitudinal mode sapphire resonator. The resonator is excited by means of a piezoelectric transducer via the mechanical waveguide. The sapphire rod is put into a helium flow cryostat, thus allowing the measurements in the wide temperature range. The temperature gradient along the resonator length is negligible due to the very high thermal conductivity of sapphire. The setup is controlled by specially designed electronic circuit interfaced to a computer. As an illustrative example, the measurements of epitaxial Fe/GaAs(001) films were performed with in-plane magnetic field, in the temperature range between 10 K and the room temperature.