Tunable In-Plane Anisotropy in Amorphous Sm–Co Films Grown on (011)-Oriented Single-Crystal Substrates
Wenhui Liang,
Houbo Zhou,
Jiefu Xiong,
Fengxia Hu,
Jia Li,
Jian Zhang,
Jing Wang,
Jirong Sun,
Baogen Shen
Affiliations
Wenhui Liang
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and State Key Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Houbo Zhou
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and State Key Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Jiefu Xiong
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and State Key Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Fengxia Hu
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and State Key Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, China; Corresponding authors.
Jia Li
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and State Key Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Jian Zhang
Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Devices, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, China
Jing Wang
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and State Key Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Fujian Institute of Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350108, China; Corresponding authors.
Jirong Sun
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and State Key Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, China
Baogen Shen
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and State Key Laboratory of Magnetism, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, China
Amorphous Sm–Co films with uniaxial in-plane anisotropy have great potential for application in information-storage media and spintronic materials. The most effective method to produce uniaxial in-plane anisotropy is to apply an in-plane magnetic field during deposition. However, this method inevitably requires more complex equipment. Here, we report a new way to produce uniaxial in-plane anisotropy by growing amorphous Sm–Co films onto (011)-cut single-crystal substrates in the absence of an external magnetic field. The tunable anisotropy constant, kA, is demonstrated with variation in the lattice parameter of the substrates. A kA value as high as about 3.3 × 104 J·m−3 was obtained in the amorphous Sm–Co film grown on a LaAlO3(011) substrate. Detailed analysis indicated that the preferential seeding and growth of ferromagnetic (FM) domains caused by the anisotropic strain of the substrates, along with the formed Sm–Co, Co–Co directional pair ordering, exert a substantial effect. This work provides a new way to obtain in-plane anisotropy in amorphous Sm–Co films. Keywords: Amorphous Sm–Co films, In-plane uniaxial anisotropy, Sputtering
