Metastable tetragonal structure of Fe{sub 100-x}Ga{sub x} epitaxial thin films on ZnSe/GaAs(001) substrate

Journal Article · Sat Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVB.84.161410· OSTI ID:21596906

Eddrief, M; Zheng, Y; Hidki, S; Rache Salles, B; Marangolo, M ^[1]; Franco-Argentino en Nanociencias, Laboratorio Internacional ^[2]; Milano, J ^[1]; Franco-Argentino en Nanociencias, Laboratorio Internacional ^[2]; Etgens, V H ^[1]; Franco-Argentino en Nanociencias, Laboratorio Internacional ^[2]

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1. Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, UPMC-CNRS UMR 7588, 4 place Jussieu, F-75252 Paris Cedex 5 (France)
2. LIFAN; France

We investigated by x-ray diffraction the Ga concentration dependences of the structural properties of Fe{sub 100-x}Ga{sub x} (galfenol) thin films grown on a ZnSe/GaAs(001) substrate, a material known for its high magnetostriction. By molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) we grew a series of (001)-oriented layers without in-plane misorientation, ranging from pure Fe up to x=29.4% Ga. We find a strong Ga-induced tetragonal distortion that conserves the pristine Fe in-plane lattice parameters for all Ga compositions. Supported by theoretical predictions [R. Wu, J. Appl. Phys. 91, 7358 (2002)], we attribute this unusual tetragonal distortion to short-range ordering of Ga-Ga pairs along the [001]-growth direction. The low-temperature and out-of-equilibrium MBE growth regime tends to stabilize a strong deformed tetragonal phase (up to c/a{approx}1.05 for x{approx}29%). This tetragonal structure is fully released by postgrowth annealing.

• OSTI ID: 21596906
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 84, Issue 16; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.161410; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ANNEALING
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
IRON COMPOUNDS
LATTICE PARAMETERS
LAYERS
MAGNETOSTRICTION
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
SUBSTRATES
THIN FILMS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ZINC SELENIDES
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COHERENT SCATTERING
CRYSTAL GROWTH METHODS
DIFFRACTION
EPITAXY
FILMS
HEAT TREATMENTS
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PNICTIDES
SCATTERING
SELENIDES
SELENIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
ZINC COMPOUNDS