Magnetic Anisotropies and Damping in Epitaxial Iron Thin Films

Abstract

In the research presented in the following thesis, the magnetic properties of a setof Fe/InAs(001) heterostructures with thicknesses ranging from 1.4 nm to 39.0 nm are investigated through the use of ferromagnetic resonance, x-ray diffraction, and magnetometry. The magnetic anisotropy results are heavily dependent on Fe thickness. The ferromagnetic resonance data point to an anisotropic relaxation of the Fe film that induces a shear strain in the Fe lattice. The shear strain produces an extra term of magnetoelastic origins in the free energy density resulting in several interesting results including a rotation of the uniaxial easy axis. Several x-ray diffraction experiments were performed to confirm the anisotropic relaxation of the Fe film. The magnetic damping of the samples were also investigated, yielding results that were anisotropic. The cause of the damping results can most likely be attributed to two-magnon scattering.