Magnetic properties of epitaxial Fe/MgO/InAs(001) thin films

Abstract

The magnetic properties of epitaxial Fe/MgO/InAs(001) thin films are examined, both experimentally and theoretically, and magnetic parameters are extracted by comparing an experimental hysteresis loop with a theoretical one calculated using a total energy equation. Out-of-plane hysteresis loops, measured along various magnetic field directions, indicate the formation of the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy at 30° from the normal of the film plane. The strength of the first-order cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropy is determined to be 6 × 104 erg/cm3, which is an order of magnitude weaker than that of bulk Fe, probably because of a large lattice mismatch between Fe and MgO (∼4.2%). The strength of the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (9.6 × 104 erg/cm3) is on the same order of magnitude as that of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The parameters extracted from the out-of-plane hysteresis loop are then used to calculate the remanence ratios of in-plane hysteresis loops along various magnetic field directions. Good agreement is observed between the two sets of results, indicating the reliability of the extracted parameters.