Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten

DS 4: Thin Film Properties II

DS 4.5: Talk

Monday, March 9, 2026, 17:45–18:00, REC/C213

Molecular Beam Epitaxy of ferrimagnetic Mn₄N — •Adriano Notarangelo, Michael Hanke, Lutz Geelhaar, Oliver Brandt, and Philipp M. John — Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Leibniz-Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin, Germany.

Mn₄N is a ferrimagnetic transition-metal nitride that crystallizes in the anti-perovskite structure. With its strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and high Curie temperature of ≈ 743 K, Mn₄N emerges as a promising material for rare-earth-free spintronics and other magnetic device applications. Since the magnetic properties of Mn₄N are sensitive to stoichiometry, strain, and lattice defects, achieving high-quality epitaxial growth is essential.

In this work, we grow 60 nm–thick Mn₄N layers by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on sub-1% lattice-mismatched SrTiO₃(001) substrates. After carefully calibrating the Mn/N flux ratio to achieve a 4:1 stoichiometric balance, we obtain phase-pure Mn₄N(001) films with no detectable secondary Mn_xN_y phases. X-ray diffraction reveals that optimal crystalline quality is achieved for growth temperatures between 300 and 400^∘C, while substantial Mn desorption hinders growth above 600^∘C. The out-of-plane lattice constant decreases from 3.854 to 3.828 Å as the growth temperature increases from 300 to 500^∘C, indicating an increased in-plane tensile strain imposed by the epitaxial constraint to SrTiO₃ with its larger lattice constant.

The optimization of Mn₄N film growth on SrTiO₃ is a solid basis for its growth on industry-relevant substrates such as Si, SiC, and GaN.

Keywords: Ferrimagnetism; Molecular Beam Epitaxy; Manganese Nitride