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Physica E 17 (2003) 349 351 www.elsevier.com/locate/physe

Magneto-optical Kerr e ect study of GaMnAs layers

D. Hrabovskya , E. Vanellea; , J. Sadowskib; c; d , A.R. Ferta , D.S. Yeea , J.P. Redoulesa , J. Kanskib , L. Ilverb
a Laboratoire

de Physique de la Mati re Condens e, UMR CNRS 5830, INSA, 135 av de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse cedex, France e e b Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Goteborg, Sweden c Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warszawa, Poland d Oersted laboratory, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract The magnetization reversal is investigated in (Ga,Mn)As thin lms using magneto-optical Kerr e ect. The results demonstrate a reversal behavior analogous to that observed in metallic magnetic layers (coherent rotation followed by nucleation propagation process). The dynamic study at T = 20 K shows a strong increase of the coercivity with the increase of dH=dt. ? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PACS: 75.60.Jk; 75.50.Pp; 75.70.Ak; 78.20.Ls; 78.66.Fd; 75.60.Ej; 75.20.Hr Keywords: Semimagnetic semiconductor; Magneto-optical Kerr e ect; Magnetic reversal; Dynamics

1. Introduction Since the rst observation of paramagnetic-toferromagnetic phase transition in IIIV [1] and IIVI [2] based materials the realization of semiconductor devices which include the functionality of ferromagnetic materials has became the subject of intense research [3,4]. Nevertheless the mechanisms of magnetization reversal remain largely unknown. We have used magneto-optical Kerr e ect (MOKE) to study these processes in four 0:5 m thick Ga1x Mnx As= GaAs layers (x = 1:7%; 2:5%; 5:1% and 5.7%) [5].

2. Experiments The frequency of the magnetic eld H is tunable from 0.1 to 50 Hz (the details of the setup can be found in Ref. [6]). Fig. 1 displays the results of the in-plane magnetization studies. The angle between the laser and the [0 0 1] direction is 60 and H is applied along [1 0 0] (Fig. 1(a), longitudinal case), along [0 1 0] (Fig. 1(b), transverse case) and along [1 1 0] (Fig. 1(c), diagonal case). Full lines correspond to experimental data, and dotted lines to the model described in Ref. [6]. Fig. 1(d) (f) describe the di erent steps of the magnetization reversal. The plus and minus signs indicate, respectively, a positive and negative contribution to the KR when the magnetization is along these direction. H represents the initial direction of the magnetic eld. Using this model we are able to reproduce the hysteresis cycle shapes. We can deduce that the

Corresponding author. Tel.: +33-5-61-55-96-51; fax: +33-561-55-96-97. E-mail address: vanelle@insa-tlse.fr (E. Vanelle).

1386-9477/03/$ - see front matter ? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S1386-9477(02)00804-4

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Fig. 1. Hysteresis cycles Ga0:983 Mn0:017 As=GaAs for the longitudinal (a), transverse (b), and diagonal congurations (c), respectively. Full lines correspond to experimental data, dotted lines to a model. (d) (f) describe the di erent steps of the magnetization reversal.

Fig. 2. Dependence of the coercive eld Hc on dH=dt for the four samples at T = 20 K.

magnetocrystalline anisotropy constants are 6000 and 5000 erg=cm3 for x = 2:5% and 1.7%, respectively. This study demonstrates a collective behavior of the moments, analogous to what is currently observed in pure metallic magnetic layers. This conrms the predictions of Dietl et al. [7] of magnetic domains and wall motion in diluted semiconductors. To distinguish the GaMnAs magnetization behavior from pure metallic magnetic layers, we have also performed a dynamic study by tuning the frequency

of the applied magnetic eld. Fig. 2 shows the coercive eld as a function of dH=dt (H is along [1 0 0]). These results show an increase of the coercivity as the applied eld sweep rate increases. The magnetization reversal is always found to be abrupt and occurs in less than a microsecond. This indicates that the reversal process is probably dominated by domain wall motion. Taking into account the random distribution of Mn in the crystal lattice and the occurrence of local inhomogeneities, we can consider that the nucleation

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process require a relatively small energy. Moreover, the sharpness of the reversals shows that the propagation eld distribution is very narrow. This could be explained by the fact that the domain walls are pinned on the numerous defects statistically distributed in the crystal. Such a strong frequency dependence is not observed in pure metallic layers. It could be the result of strong barrier energy pinning for the propagation of the domain walls associated to low activation energy at T = 20 K. These results are connected to the random distribution of the Mn magnetic ions in the crystal lattice, and might be of the same kind as certain dynamic e ects observed in disordered or frustrated magnetic compounds.

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