Role of the underlying layer in crystalline structure and magnetic properties of Mn-Sb-Bi thin film

Mn-Sb-Bi thin films were grown by deposition of Mn onto the annealed Sb/Bi bilayer. Changes in the morphology and structure of the films both as-sputtered and after annealing at 623 K for 5 h were observed. Annealing the Sb/Bi bilayer causes the Sb-Bi alloy with enlarged grains. Annealing Mn/(Sb-Bi) films shows a relatively high saturation magnetization, a small in-plane coercivity. The existence of the (001) orientation in the as-sputtered film produced by the intermediate annealing results in the better (001) orientation of the NiAs-type Mn-Sb-Bi phase in an annealed Mn/(Sb-Bi) thin film. The film shows the existence of the perpendicular anisotropy component.