Control of magnetic anisotropy in (Ga,Mn)as by lithography-induced strain relaxation

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Aug 17;99(7):077201. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.077201. Epub 2007 Aug 14.

Abstract

We report control of magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial (Ga,Mn)As by anisotropic strain relaxation in patterned structures. The strain in the structures is characterized using reciprocal space mapping by x-ray techniques. The magnetic anisotropy before patterning of the layer, which shows biaxial easy axes along [100] and [010], is replaced by a hard axis in the direction of large elastic strain relaxation and a uniaxial easy axis in the direction where pseudomorphic conditions are retained.