Shape anisotropy in patterned ferromagnetic GaMnAsP films with perpendicular anisotropy

We investigate the effects of physical dimensions on the behavior of magnetic anisotropy in lithographically-fabricated nanoscale squares of the ferromagnetic semiconductor GaMnAsP using SQUID magnetometry and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). Both measurements show that perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is strongly affected by the size of the ferromagnetic nano-scale elements, while their Curie temperature and their in-plane anisotropy remain unchanged in the range studied. In addition to uniform-mode FMR, we observe a series of spin-wave resonances, whose analysis suggests that surface anisotropy plays an important role in determining the properties of nanoscale magnets.