Kerr measurements on single-domain SrRuO3 thin films -: art. no. 10M321

We report on the magneto-optical measurements of an epitaxial SrRuO3 film grown on SrTiO3 (001), which previously was determined to be single domain orientated by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Our experiments reveal a large Kerr rotation, which reaches a maximum value of about 0.5 degrees at low temperature. By measuring magnetic hysteresis loops at different temperatures, we determined the temperature dependence of the Kerr rotation in the polar configuration. Values of the anisotropic magnetoresistance similar to 20% have been measured. These values are remarkably higher than those of other metallic oxides such as manganites. This striking difference can be attributed to the strong spin-orbit interaction of the Ru 4d ion in the SrRuO3 compound. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.