Magneto-crystalline anisotropy in multi-oriented MnSb thin films for multifunctional device applications

MnSb is a metallic ferromagnet with a high Curie temperature (∼587 K) and strong spin–orbit coupling, making it attractive for room-temperature spintronic and magnetic sensing applications. We report heteroepitaxial growth of MnSb on GaAs (111) by molecular beam epitaxy, yielding locally epitaxial, strain-relaxed island structures with multiple dominant crystallographic orientations. Structural analysis reveals the coexistence of basal-plane- and pyramidal-plane-oriented domains, enabling investigation of magneto-crystalline anisotropy in an orientationally inhomogeneous ferromagnetic system. Room-temperature magnetic characterization using magnetic force microscopy, scanning nitrogen-vacancy center magnetometry, and angle-dependent ferromagnetic resonance demonstrates a strongly anisotropic, orientation-dependent magnetic response across multiple length scales. Correlating these magnetic responses with crystal structure and local stray fields reveals the role of structural inhomogeneity in governing magnetic anisotropy and spin dynamics in MnSb thin film. These results establish MnSb thin films as a promising platform for vector magnetic-field sensing and orientation-encoded spintronic device concepts.