3 research outputs found
Growth-Induced In-Plane Uniaxial Anisotropy in VO/Ni Films
We report on a strain-induced and temperature dependent uniaxial anisotropy
in VO/Ni hybrid thin films, manifested through the interfacial
strain and sample microstructure, and its consequences on the angular dependent
magnetization reversal. X-ray diffraction and reciprocal space maps identify
the in-plane crystalline axes of the VO; atomic force and scanning
electron microscopy reveal oriented rips in the film microstructure.
Quasi-static magnetometry and dynamic ferromagnetic resonance measurements
identify a uniaxial magnetic easy axis along the rips. Comparison with films
grown on sapphire without rips shows a combined contribution from strain and
microstructure in the VO/Ni films. Magnetization reversal
characteristics captured by angular-dependent first order reversal curve
measurements indicate a strong domain wall pinning along the direction
orthogonal to the rips, inducing an angular-dependent change in the reversal
mechanism. The resultant anisotropy is tunable with temperature and is most
pronounced at room temperature, which is beneficial for potential device
applications