Growth and magnetic properties of MnGe films for spintronic application

Morphological and magnetic properties of MnxGe1-x films have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements, respectively. Several MnxGe1-x alloys were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on Ge(100) substrates, varying the growth temperature and alloy composition (x). STM analysis demonstrated island morphology with islands having a mean dimension ranging from about 100 to 130 nm, depending on the substrate temperature and Mn content in the film. Growth conditions also influence the island distribution. MOKE analysis, carried out on all the MnxGe1-x alloys, showed only a negligible hysteresis effect in the investigated temperature range from about 12 to 300 K. At low temperatures (below 70-110 K, depending on the sample), the MOKE signal tends to saturate at a magnetic field intensity less than about 0.5 T, indicating a superparamagnetic behavior. On the contrary, above that temperature the films do not show a magnetic character. The features of the MOKE curves depend on the growth parameters. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.