Abstract
Characteristic features of diluted ferromagnetic semiconductors such as the anisotropic magnetoresistance or the spin polarization of charge carriers are intimately connected with a macroscopic magnetization. Since the orientation of the magnetization is controlled by magnetic anisotropy (MA), a detailed knowledge of this anisotropy is indispensable for the design of novel spintronic devices. In this article, angle-dependent magnetotransport is demonstrated to be an excellent tool for probing MA as an alternative to the standard ferromagnetic-resonance method. Moreover, its ability to trace the motion of the magnetization vector in a variable external magnetic field makes it ideally suitable for studying magnetization switching, a potential basic effect in future logical devices. The MA of a series of differently strained GaMnAs samples is analyzed by means of model calculations in a single-domain picture based on a series expansion of the resistivity tensor and a numerical minimization of the free enthalpy.
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Limmer, W. et al. (2008). Magnetic Anisotropy and Magnetization Switching in Ferromagnetic GaMnAs. In: Haug, R. (eds) Advances in Solid State Physics. Advances in Solid State Physics, vol 47. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74325-5_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74325-5_8
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