Angular dependence of magnetization reversal in epitaxial chromium telluride thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

摘要

We investigate magnetic anisotropy and magnetization reversal mechanism inchromium telluride thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. We reportexistence of strong perpendicular anisotropy in these thin films, along with arelatively strong second order anisotropy contribution. The angular variationof the switching field observed from the magnetoresistance measurement isexplained quantitatively using a one-dimensional defect model. The modelreveals the relative roles of nucleation and pinning in the magnetizationreversal, depending on the applied field orientation. Micromagnetic simulationsare performed to visualize the domain structure and switching process.