Hexagonal Ni38Mn28Ga34 alloy films grown on GaAs(111)

• NiMnGa alloy with hexagonal crystalline structure.
• Epitaxial growth of NiMnGa alloy on GaAs.
• Strong anisotropy of magnetization.

We report the preparation of Ni38Mn28Ga34 alloy thin film on GaAs(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. These films with relatively smooth granular surface have hexagonal (NiMn)2Ga structure with ratio c/a = 1.27, showing clear epitaxial relationships with GaAs substrates. The (Ni.Mn)2Ga pseudo-binary alloy is stabilized at 200 °C exhibiting a ferromagnetic behavior and strong anisotropy of magnetization at low temperatures.