Enhanced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of ferrimagnetic Mn4N films deposited on the glass substrate

Abstract Mn 4 N films have been prepared on the glass substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering, using Mn 3 N 2 as the seed layer. Compared with Mn 4 N film directly grown on the glass substrate, the crystallinity and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of the Mn 4 N film with the seed layer are significantly enhanced. By varying the thickness of the Mn 3 N 2 seed layer, the structural and magnetic properties are systematically investigated. It is shown that the seed layer thickness is pivotal in the growth of Mn 4 N with good crystallinity. The crystallinity of Mn 4 N first improves with the increase in the layer thickness of Mn 3 N 2 , and degrades after an optimal thickness; this is related to the change in the surface roughness of the Mn 3 N 2 layers. The Mn 3 N 2 layer not only promotes the growth of Mn 4 N film with c -axis orientation, but also provides additional N atoms to the growing surface to prevent Mn 4 N from being oxidized. This simple method can be used to prepare high-quality Mn 4 N films on a glass substrate, which show strong PMA and are suitable for spintronics applications.