Origin of the spin reorientation transitions in (Fe1–xCox)2B alloys

Low-temperature measurements of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy K in (Fe1–xCox)2B alloys are reported, and the origin of this anisotropy is elucidated using a first-principles electronic structure analysis. The calculated concentration dependence K(x) with a maximum near x¼0.3 and a minimum near x¼0.8 is in excellent agreement with experiment. This dependence is traced down to spin-orbital selection rules and the filling of electronic bands with increasing electronic concentration. At the optimal Co concentration, K depends strongly on the tetragonality and doubles under a modest 3% increase of the c/a ratio, suggesting that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy can be further enhanced using epitaxial or chemical strain