Enhancing the Spin–Orbit Coupling in Fe₃O₄ Epitaxial Thin Films by Interface Engineering

By analyzing the in-plane angular dependence of ferromagnetic resonance linewidth, we show that the Gilbert damping constant in ultrathin Fe₃O₄ epitaxial films on GaAs substrate can be enhanced by thickness reduction and oxygen vacancies in the interface. At the same time, the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy due to the interface effect becomes significant. Using the element-specific technique of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we find that the orbital-to-spin moment ratio increases with decreasing film thickness, in full agreement with the increase in the Gilbert damping obtained for these ultrathin single-crystal films. Combined with the first-principle calculations, the results suggest that the bonding with Fe and Ga or As ions and the ionic distortion near the interface, as well as the FeO defects and oxygen vacancies, may increase the spin–orbit coupling in ultrathin Fe₃O₄ epitaxial films and in turn provide an enhanced damping