Solid-state synthesis, magnetic and structural properties of epitaxial D03-Fe3Rh(001) thin films

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intermet.2023.107871

Here we first report on the formation of epitaxial D0₃-Fe₃Rh(001) films grown during solid-state reaction in Rh/Fe(001) bilayers on MgO(001) substrates. Samples of the Fe₆₈Rh₃₂ composition above 400 °C showed the formation of a new ordered phase, in addition to the ordered B2–FeRh phase (space group Pm-3m, lattice constant a = 0.2993 nm), which becomes the dominant phase in Fe₇₆Rh₂₄ samples. These results and the results of the asymmetrical XRD φ-scan prove that the new ordered phase is the ordered D0₃-Fe₃Rh(001) phase (space group Fm-3m, lattice constant a = 0.5888 nm), forming a cube-on-cube orientation relationship with respect to the MgO(001) substrate. The D0₃-Fe₃Rh sample is a soft magnetic material with high saturation magnetization.