Substrate-modified ferrimagnetism in MnGa films

We report the substrate-modified magnetic properties of the CuAu type-I (L1(0)) structure of Mn(x)Ga (1.2 < x < 1.5) films. The magnetic properties of the MnGa films differed greatly due to the influence of the substrate. The MnGa film is a hard ferrimagnet when grown on GaSb (111), becomes a soft ferrimagnet when grown on Al(2)O(3) (0001), and exhibits an absence of a net magnetic moment when stabilized on a GaSb (100) substrate. This difference was attributed to the substrate, which forces MnGa film to be two-dimensionally stabilized in a different orientation and thus leads to the modified crystal symmetry and a change in the magnetic property. The results may be helpful for forming a comprehensive understanding of MnGa and for finding new applications in spintronic devices. (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3517083]