Influence of bi content on the temperature of the formation of the hard magnetic MnBi phase: simultaneous irreversible drop of resistance

Pulsed laser-deposited (PLD) MnBi films were fabricated by alternating deposition of Mn and Bi layers. In order to obtain the ferromagnetic MnBi phase, heat treatments were performed on the samples. Simultaneously, the resistance of the samples was monitored as a function of the temperature. Thus, on increasing the temperature, a steep decrease in the resistance of the films was observed, simultaneous to the onset of the formation of the MnBi phase. At room-temperature, these annealed samples showed a ferromagnetic behavior, as well as the presence of the characteristic LT-MnBi phase diffraction peaks in the X-ray diffraction patterns. The temperature of the generation of the MnBi phase depended on the relative concentration of Mn and Bi in the different samples: on increasing the Bi atomic concentration, the temperature of the generation of the MnBi phase decreased.