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The Impact of Local Strain Fields in Noncollinear Antiferromagnetic Films.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Rendell-Bhatti, Frederic  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3470-786X
Hussey, Aisling 

Abstract

Antiferromagnets hosting structural or magnetic order that breaks time reversal symmetry are of increasing interest for "beyond von Neumann" computing applications because the topology of their band structure allows for intrinsic physical properties, exploitable in integrated memory and logic function. One such group are the noncollinear antiferromagnets. Essential for domain manipulation is the existence of small net moments found routinely when the material is synthesized in thin film form and attributed to symmetry breaking caused by spin canting, either from the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction or from strain. Although the spin arrangement of these materials makes them highly sensitive to strain, there is little understanding about the influence of local strain fields caused by lattice defects on global properties, such as magnetization and anomalous Hall effect. This premise is investigated by examining noncollinear antiferromagnetic films that are either highly lattice mismatched or closely matched to their substrate. In either case, edge dislocation networks are generated and for the former case, these extend throughout the entire film thickness, creating large local strain fields. These strain fields allow for finite intrinsic magnetization in seemingly structurally relaxed films and influence the antiferromagnetic domain state and the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect.

Description

Keywords

TEM, antiferromagnetism, defects, interfaces, strain

Journal Title

Adv Mater

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0935-9648
1521-4095

Volume Title

Publisher

Wiley
Sponsorship
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (RF2023/4)
EPSRC (EP/V042262/1)
Royal Society of 1851 Research Fellowship