1. Antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition in (Zn,Sn,Mn)As2 epitaxial thin films
- Author
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Naotaka Uchitomi, Shiro Hidaka, and Hideyuki Toyota
- Subjects
010302 applied physics ,Phase transition ,Materials science ,Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous) ,Condensed matter physics ,02 engineering and technology ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,01 natural sciences ,Condensed Matter::Materials Science ,Paramagnetism ,Magnetization ,Ferromagnetism ,Phase (matter) ,0103 physical sciences ,Antiferromagnetism ,0210 nano-technology ,Néel temperature ,Superparamagnetism - Abstract
The magnetization of (Zn,Sn,Mn)As2 thin films epitaxially grown on InP(001) substrates exhibited an anomalous temperature dependence, increasing slightly with temperature, compared with estimates based on the mean-field theory (MFT). Assuming that ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AF) phases coexist at low temperature, these anomalous magnetic properties can be well explained by an AF-FM transition through a paramagnetic phase. The Neel temperature TN of the AF phase is estimated from the threshold of the difference curve between the experimental and theoretical data, assuming the magnetization of the FM phase, which follows the MFT. The estimated TN rapidly increases by ∼50 K in the range of Mn concentrations where the hexagonal MnAs (h-MnAs) phase precipitates. This can be explained by the superparamagnetic behavior of the precipitated h-MnAs nanoclusters, which possess a high blocking temperature.
- Published
- 2017
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