ABSTRACT
Due to the epitaxial strain, the phase transition in MnAs films from the paramagnetic orthorhombic P-phase (stable in bulk MnAs above -40 °C) to the hexagonal ferromagnetic a-phase (stable in bulk MnAs below -40 °C) leads to the coexistence of the two phases at room temperature (RT) [4]. This involves a separation into ferromagnetic and paramagnetic stripes. We have studied the complex interplay of phase composition, stripe structure, and magnetic inter-stripe interaction to understand the impact of the film thickness and post-growth annealing on the magnetic properties of the films.
