Strain effect on magnetic property of antiferromagnetic insulator SmFeO₃

Thin films and heterostructures of antiferromagnetic insulator SmFeO₃ were fabricated on LaAlO₃ (001) substrates by magnetron sputtering, and their structural, magnetic properties were investigated. It was found that epitaxially strained thin films showed a pronounced magnetic anisotropy with the enhanced magnetization up to 65 emu/cc, which is approximately ten times larger than the bulk value. The observed enhancement of magnetization was considered to be due to the lattice distortion and the non-collinear antiferromagnetic spin ordering of SmFeO₃.