The magnetic structure of an epitaxial BiMn0.5Fe0.5O3 thin film on SrTiO3 (001) studied with neutron diffraction

Abstract

High-angle neutron diffraction was used to directly reveal the atomic-scale magnetic structure of a single-crystalline BiMn0.5Fe0.5O3 thin film deposited on a SrTiO3 (001) substrate. The BiMn0.5Fe0.5O3 phase exhibits distinctive magnetic properties that differentiate it from both parent compounds: BiFeO3 and BiMnO3. A transition to long-range G-type antiferromagnetism was observed below 120K with a (1/2 1/2 1/2) propagation vector. A weak ferromagnetic behavior was measured at low temperature by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry. There is no indication of the spin cycloid, known for BiFeO3, in the BiMn0.5Fe0.5O3 thin film. The neutron diffraction suggests a random distribution of Mn and Fe over perovskite B sites. © 2012, American Institute of Physics.