Variable-temperature micromagnetic study of epitaxially grown MnAs films on GaAs(001)

We present variable-temperature magnetic force microscopy (VT-MFM) studies of epitaxially grown MnAs layers on GaAs(001). In MnAs, a structural and magnetic phase transition occurs at Tc≈40 °C from the hexagonal, ferromagnetic α-phase below Tc to the orthorhombic, paramagnetic β-phase above Tc. In the investigated MnAs-GaAs system, both phases coexist over a temperature range of ≈30 °C below Tc due to the involved strain. Using MFM we are able to distinguish between the ferromagnetic and the paramagnetic phases by measuring topographic and magnetic contrast of the same sample area. For VT-MFM studies, we have employed a temperature stage that allows heating and cooling in a controlled atmosphere with small thermal drift (for this system, the temperature was varied from below 0 °C to above 45 °C). The ratio of the ferromagnetic to the paramagnetic phases shows a temperature hysteresis, i.e. the ratio is dependent on whether the sample was heated or cooled to reach the measurement temperature. Detailed studies of the domains and their arrangements over the hysteretic temperature cycle are shown and compared. Mainly three different domain types are found that are dominant in their respective temperature ranges.