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arXiv · 2607.11077

Effect of annealing temperature on the structure and properties of co-sputtered Fe-Mn-Sn films near 2:1:1 ratio

Lance Griswold·Dipanjan Mazumdar
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Abstract

Research in recent years has focused on the thin-film synthesis of high-quality ternary alloys, identified for their tunable properties and potential in spintronics (e.g., Heusler alloys, Kagome magnets). In a previous study, we identified the conditions for stabilizing Fe$_2$MnSn, a Kagome magnet with a high Curie temperature and magnetic anisotropy. However, ternary phases such as Fe$_2$MnSn are challenging to synthesize and stabilize within a narrow temperature window, as binary and elemental phases can also form during the growth process. To highlight these observations, we investigated the thin film phases in the Fe-Mn-Sn system near the 2:1:1 ratio as a function of annealing temperature, ranging from 400 to 700\degree C. The elemental Fe, Mn, and Sn targets were pre-calibrated to a close to 2:1:1 ratio and co-sputtered at room temperature, followed by annealing. Two binary hexagonal structures, Fe$_3$Sn$_2$ and Fe$_5$Sn$_3$, along with the elemental Fe phase, are stabilized between 400-550\degree C, but disappear at 580\degree C, where Fe$_2$MnSn is the only stable phase. Elemental Mn phase starts to appear starting from 600\degree C, and becomes dominant by 750\degree C. Electrical, magnetic and magneto-optical properties are observed to correlate with the structural findings and the best properties are observed in the temperature range where Fe$_2$MnSn is the dominant phase. In general, our study highlights the difficulty in growing phase-pure ternary alloys such as Fe$_2$MnSn, which is very strongly based on precise temperature conditions. We also observed significant disordered growth below 100 nm for Fe$_2$MnSn, implying poor thickness scaling behavior.

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Lance Griswold, Dipanjan Mazumdar. 2026-07-13. Effect of annealing temperature on the structure and properties of co-sputtered Fe-Mn-Sn films near 2:1:1 ratio. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.11077

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