Giant Magnetization Enhancement at Ultrathin Limit of an Orthoferrite

Abstract: Low-dimensional magnetic systems have received significant interest due to their high scalability and energy efficiency for future electromagnetic applications. However, low-dimensional magnetism at finite temperature is subject to Mermin-Wagner fluctuations, which make its realization highly challenging. Here, we propose structural modulation in the thin-film structure of an orthoferrite system to achieve a high low-dimensional magnetic response at room temperature. ErFeO3 epitaxial thin film with atomically precise thickness control demonstrates that the magnetic response at 300 K can be significantly enhanced compared to its bulk counterpart. The magnetic response reaches its maximum value of 3.7 MuB/f.u. for the 2 nm-thick epitaxial film. The characteristic domain structure resulting from epitaxial strain and orbital reconstruction at the surface, both arising from the thin film geometry, has been proposed as the microscopic origin of the giant magnetization enhancement. We show that magnetic ordering can indeed be realized in the 2D limit, with deliberate structural control of orthoferrite systems.