The recently discovered phenomenon of Néel spin–orbit torque in antiferromagnetic Mn2Au [Bodnar et al., Nat. Commun. 9, 348 (2018); Meinert et al., Phys. Rev. Appl. 9, 064040 (2018); Bodnar et al., Phys. Rev. B 99, 140409(R) (2019)] has generated huge interest in this material for spintronics applications. In this paper, we report the preparation and characterization of high quality Mn2Au thin films by molecular beam epitaxy and compare them with magnetron sputtered samples. The films were characterized for their structural and morphological properties using reflective high-energy electron diffraction, x-ray diffraction, x-ray reflectometry, atomic force microscopy, and temperature dependent resistance measurements. The thin film composition was determined using both inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry techniques. The MBE-grown films were found to show a superior smooth morphology and a low defect concentration, resulting in reduced scattering of the charge carriers.
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28 June 2020
Research Article|
June 22 2020
High quality epitaxial Mn2Au (001) thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy
Special Collection:
Antiferromagnetic Spintronics
S. P. Bommanaboyena
;
S. P. Bommanaboyena
a)
1
Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University
, 55099 Mainz, Germany
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: sprakash@uni-mainz.de
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T. Bergfeldt;
T. Bergfeldt
2
Institute for Applied Materials-Applied Materials Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
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R. Heller;
R. Heller
3
Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
, 01328 Dresden, Germany
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M. Kläui
;
M. Kläui
1
Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University
, 55099 Mainz, Germany
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M. Jourdan
M. Jourdan
1
Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University
, 55099 Mainz, Germany
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: sprakash@uni-mainz.de
Note: This paper is part of the special topic on Antiferromagnetic Spintronics.
J. Appl. Phys. 127, 243901 (2020)
Article history
Received:
April 01 2020
Accepted:
June 04 2020
Citation
S. P. Bommanaboyena, T. Bergfeldt, R. Heller, M. Kläui, M. Jourdan; High quality epitaxial Mn2Au (001) thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. J. Appl. Phys. 28 June 2020; 127 (24): 243901. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0009566
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