Magnetic compensation and preferential substitution site for Ag in epitaxial thin films
Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 064408 – Published 13 June, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lx38-nzp9
Abstract
We report the presence of a magnetic compensation (MC) composition at room temperature in 20 nm thick epitaxial thin films prepared on by molecular beam epitaxy and show that their magnetic structure is significantly altered by Ag doping. Magnetization curves and anomalous Hall effect loops indicate the presence of an MC composition .15 at room temperature. X-ray absorption near-edge structure measurements reveal preferential substitution of Ag for Mn atoms at the corner sites. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements show that the magnetic structure changes drastically for . These results and various considerations suggest that the thin film constitutes a noncollinear magnetic structure above . This is significantly different from the previously reported Ni- and Co-doped epitaxial thin films.