Spin reorientation transition in Fe-rich alloy films on W(110): The role of magnetoelastic anisotropy and structural transition

Epitaxial Fe-rich alloy films of formulas Fe1−xNix, Fe1−xCox, and Fe1−xVx were grown on a W(110) substrate with a bcc structure without any structural transition at x<0.3. Using chemical pressure (inserting small amounts of Ni, Co, or V into Fe), the authors controlled the lattice constant of these alloy films and then measured the variation of spin reorientation thickness (tr) according to the alloy composition. The authors focused on the roles of the lattice constant of the film and the spin reorientation thickness that is closely related to the strain associated with the lattice mismatch between the thin film and the substrate.