Magnetic anisotropy in (110) epitaxial DyFe2 Laves phase

Laves phase DyFe2 thin films have been epitaxially grown with [110] as the growth direction. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns confirm the quality of epitaxy and x-ray diffraction measurements evidence that the films are strained compared to the bulk alloy. Mossbauer spectroscopy spectra and Kerr rotation measurements show that the easy magnetization direction varies from [100] at 4.2 K to around [<(2)over bar 41>] at 300 K. This is consequently different from the bulk-compound easy axis ([100] from 4.2 K to room temperature). This effect is new and can be qualitatively understood if we consider the influence of the strains induced by epitaxy on the various energy terms which govern the easy magnetization direction.