Antiferromagnetic to Ferromagnetic Phase Transition in Fe-Rh Alloy Films.

Tim Charlton (ISIS)

The behavior of magnetic materials which undergo a change of magnetic state have been studied often. In particular descriptions of paramagnetic to ferromagnetic and paramag- netic to antiferromagnetic phase transformation can be found in nearly every solid state textbook. However, studies of the transition from a ferromagnet to an antiferromagnet are rare in comparison. Iron-rhodium ordered alloys are an example where this transition can be studied[1]. In an effort to investigate the ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition in more detail, we have produce ReRh ordered alloy thin ?lms by both MBE and DC magnetron sputtering with a range of caps and substrates. We ?nd that the antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition moves in temperature as a result of the strain induced by cap materials such as Ta, Au and MgO but the details of the magnetization process is also markedly di?erent. We will present a detailed picture of the antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition in these films seen from polarized neutron reflection, resonant x-ray scattering and SQUID magnetometry measurements.

[1] Physics of Ferromagnetism, 2nd Ed. S. Chikazumi, Wiley (New York), 1964

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