Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

MA: Fachverband Magnetismus

MA 7: Poster Magnetism I

MA 7.63: Poster

Monday, March 9, 2026, 09:30–12:30, P2

Seed-layer assisted epitaxial growth of Mn₅Si₃ thin films on Al₂O₃ — •Maximilian Koll¹, Maik Gaerner¹, Judith Bünte¹, Finn Peters¹, Andreas Hütten¹, Karsten Rott¹, Jan Schmalhorst¹, Martin Wortmann², and Günter Reiss¹ — ¹Bielefeld University, Faculty of Physics, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany — ²Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Faculty of Engineering and Mathematics, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany

Mn₅Si₃ thin films are a prominent platform in which signatures of altermagnetism, such as the anomalous Hall effect [1] or the anomalous Nernst effect [2,3], have been observed. These responses are consistent with a theoretically predicted d-wave altermagnetic state that breaks time-reversal symmetry while exhibiting zero net magnetization as well as THz spin-current dynamics [4].

Here, we report on the growth of epitaxial Mn₅Si₃(0001) on Al₂O₃(0001) via magnetron sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy. We demonstrate that a high-temperature Mn₅Si₃ seed layer significantly enhances the crystallinity of the thin films while maintaining a smooth surface morphology. Finally, we show that the emergence of a spontaneous anomalous Hall effect in the Mn₅Si₃ thin films is highly sensitive to the Mn content as well as the annealing procedure.

[1] H. Reichlova et al., Nat. Commun. 15, 4961 (2024)

[2] A. Badura et al., Nat. Commun. 16, 7111 (2025)

[3] L. Han et al., Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 044066 (2025)

[4] L. Šmejkal et al., Phys. Rev. X 12, 04051 (2022)

Keywords: Altermagnetism; Mn5Si3; Seed Layer; Anomalous Hall Effect