Dresden 2017 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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MA: Fachverband Magnetismus
MA 26: Thin Films: Magnetic Coupling Phenomena / Exchange Bias
MA 26.6: Vortrag
Dienstag, 21. März 2017, 15:15–15:30, HSZ 101
Control of the Néel vector orientation in Mn2Au thin films — •Alexey A. Sapozhnik1,2, Radu Abrudan3, Henning Huckfeldt4, Alexander Gaul4, Hartmut Zabel1, Martin Jourdan1, Mathias Kläui1, and Hans-Joachim Elmers1 — 1Institute of Physics, JGU Mainz, Germany — 2MAINZ Graduate School, Germany — 3HZB, Germany — 4Universität Kassel, Germany
Antiferromagnets (AFs) have the potential for ultrafast THz spin-dynamics and manipulation by, e.g., accessing the staggered magnetization along the Néel vector. The insensitivity to external magnetic fields has benefits. But new methods for controlling the AF domain state and direction of the Néel vector other than magnetic fields have to be invented. In this work, different methods of manipulating the Néel vector were investigated in Mn2Au, a high-Néel temperature metallic AF. X-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) spectroscopy measurements were performed at BESSY II to monitor the orientation of the Néel vector. A pulsed magnetic field of 70 T induces a spin-flop transition in Mn2Au and aligns the Mn moments generating a distinct XMLD effect. Absence of XMLD in an as-prepared reference sample confirms the magnetic origin of the dichroism. Helium ion bombardment reduces the Néel temperature of Mn2Au, enabling AF domain orientation in the exchange field of a ferromagnetic layer via field cooling. Mechanical tensile strain applied to Mn2Au thin films changes the crystal symmetry and orients the Néel vector perpendicular to the elongation direction. XMLD asymmetry in Mn2Au reaches a level of 0.4% upon application of 0.1% tensile strain.