Epitaxial growth and magnetic properties of MnxPt1-x (x ≤ 0.38) thin films on (001)-SrTiO3 substrates

Thin epitaxial (001)-oriented MnxPt1-x films with 0 less than or equal to x < 0.38 were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on (001)SrTiO3 substrates. The structure and the growth mechanism have been investigated, RHEED patterns confirm the high structural quality of the MnxPt1-x films. A Volmer-Weber model is applied to describe the growth mechanism of MnPt3 on SrTiO3. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal a lattice parameter for MnPt3 of 3.89(5) Angstrom and a strong dependence of the lattice parameter on the Mn content. A possible strain-induced phase transition at higher Mn content is discussed. At room temperature a high saturation magnetization (M-s) of 680 emu/cm(3) is found which implies that a highly ordered phase of MnPt3 occurs. The Curie temperature is enhanced compared to non-strained films. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.