Origin of the spin reorientation transitions in (Fe{sub 1–x}Co{sub x}){sub 2}B alloys

Journal Article · Mon Feb 09 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4908056· OSTI ID:22412616

Belashchenko, Kirill D. ^[1]; Ke, Liqin; Antropov, Vladimir P. ^[2]; Däne, Markus; Benedict, Lorin X. ^[3]; Lamichhane, Tej Nath; Taufour, Valentin; Jesche, Anton; Bud'ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C. ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy and Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588 (United States)
2. Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Ames, Iowa 50011 (United States)
3. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)

Low-temperature measurements of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy K in (Fe{sub 1–x}Co{sub x}){sub 2}B alloys are reported, and the origin of this anisotropy is elucidated using a first-principles electronic structure analysis. The calculated concentration dependence K(x) with a maximum near x = 0.3 and a minimum near x = 0.8 is in excellent agreement with experiment. This dependence is traced down to spin-orbital selection rules and the filling of electronic bands with increasing electronic concentration. At the optimal Co concentration, K depends strongly on the tetragonality and doubles under a modest 3% increase of the c/a ratio, suggesting that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy can be further enhanced using epitaxial or chemical strain.

• OSTI ID: 22412616
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 106, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ANISOTROPY
BORON ALLOYS
COBALT ALLOYS
CONCENTRATION RATIO
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
EPITAXY
IRON BASE ALLOYS
SELECTION RULES
SPIN
STRAINS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE