Magnetic states controlled by energetic ion irradiation in FeRh thin films

Changes in magnetic properties and lattice structure of FeRh films by 180 keV–10 MeV ion (H, He, and I) irradiation are studied. In spite of the irradiation with different ion species and wide range of energies, the changes in magnetization are dominated by solely a single parameter; the density of energy which is deposited through elastic collision between the ions and the samples. For the low deposition energy density, the magnetization increases with increasing the deposition energy density, while the lattice structure remains unchanged. When the deposition energy density becomes larger, however, the magnetization decreases after reaching the maximum value. The decrease in the magnetization accompanies the crystal structure change from B2 to A1. The present results imply that the magnetic state of FeRh films can be designedly controlled by the energetic ion irradiations.