First-principles investigation of magnetocrystalline anisotropy oscillations in Co$_{2}$FeAl/Ta heterostructures

Abstract

We report first-principles investigations of magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MCAE) oscillations as a function of capping layer thickness in Heusler alloy Co\textsubscript{2}FeAl/Ta heterostructures. Substantial oscillation is observed in FeAl-interface structure. According to $k$-space and band-decomposed charge density analyses, this oscillation is mainly attributed to the Fermi-energy-vicinal quantum well states (QWS) which are confined between Co\textsubscript{2}FeAl/Ta interface and Ta/vacuum surface. The smaller oscillation magnitude in the Co-interface structure can be explained by the smooth potential transition at the interface. These findings clarify that MCAE in Co\textsubscript{2}FeAl/Ta is not a local property of the interface and that the quantum well effect plays a dominant role in MCAE oscillations of the heterostructures. This work presents the possibility of tuning MCAE by QWS in capping layers, and paves the way for artificially controlling magnetic anisotropy energy in magnetic tunnel junctions.