Effect of Magnetic Field on the Magnetic Domain Structure of MnAs Film on GaAs(001)

Abstract

We have observed the magnetic domain evolution under an external magnetic field in an epitaxial MnAs film on GaAs(001) by magnetic force microscopy. Owing to the strain involved, the ferromagnetic -MnAs and the paramagnetic -MnAs phases coexist as self-aligned stripes at room temperature. It was found that a complex magnetic domain structure appeared in the ferromagnetic -phase region at the demagnetized state ( = 0 Oe). As the magnetic field increased, the magnetic domain structure was gradually changed, and reached a completely saturated state at = 600 Oe. Especially, at = 300 Oe, the observed magnetic domain wall distribution is well matched with the topographical shape.Index Terms-Magnetic domains, magnetic force microscopy, magnetic thin films.

Direct observation of saw‐tooth typed domain wall jumps in epitaxial ferromagnetic MnAs film on GaAs(001)

“…Considerable efforts have been devoted to understanding the magnetic domain structures of MnAs film by means of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron microscopy [6] and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) [7,8]. In addition, the magnetic domain evolution with variation of the external magnetic field has been investigated though field-dependent MFM measurements [9,10]. Recently, direct domain observation experiments using the magneto-optical Kerr effect have revealed systematic variation of the domain evolution pattern with temperature [5].…”

Thickness-dependent magnetic domain change in epitaxial MnAs films on GaAs(001)

“…Recently, the MFM measurements have been carried out for constant film thicknesses of 180 and 250 nm to understand the magnetic domain structure according to the applied magnetic field. 11,12 Considering the fact that the periodic length of the two phase stripes depends strongly on the film thickness, 13 a thickness-dependent study is essential for a better understanding of the magnetic domain structure of MnAs films. In this letter, we present the observation of a systematic variation of the magnetic domain structure with thickness in the MnAs/ GaAs͑001͒ system using MFM.…”