1. Magnetotransport properties of Fe3O4 epitaxial thin films: Thickness effects driven by antiphase boundaries
- Author
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A. V. Ramos, Michel Viret, Pascale Bayle-Guillemaud, Etienne Snoeck, A. M. Bataille, Jean-Baptiste Moussy, M.-J. Guittet, Christophe Gatel, and M. Gautier-Soyer
- Subjects
Condensed Matter::Materials Science ,Materials science ,Condensed matter physics ,Magnetoresistance ,Ferromagnetism ,Electrical resistivity and conductivity ,Condensed Matter::Superconductivity ,Epitaxial thin film ,General Physics and Astronomy ,Large range ,Epitaxy ,Molecular beam epitaxy ,Magnetic field - Abstract
We present an in-depth study of the magnetotransport properties of epitaxial Fe3O4 films as a function of film thickness. The films, grown on α-Al2O3(0001) single crystals by atomic-oxygen assisted molecular beam epitaxy, exhibit high structural order and abrupt interfaces. These films contain antiphase boundaries (APBs), the density of which is strongly dependent on film thickness. A series of resistivity and magnetoresistance measurements demonstrate a systematic evolution of these properties with decreasing film thickness, revealing the impact of APBs on the transport properties in the films. We present a model based on the spin-polarized transport across an antiferromagnetically coupled APB in order to successfully reproduce our experimental data over a large range of applied magnetic fields. The comparison of this model with experimental results further clarifies the mechanism of the anomalous magnetotransport behavior in Fe3O4.
- Published
- 2006