Tailoring Spin Relaxation in Thin Films by Tuning Extrinsic Relaxation Channels

The importance of extrinsic spin relaxation processes such as magnon-magnon scattering for the overall damping in ferromagnetic thin films has been shown for low relaxation rate systems. Due to its anisotropic behavior, it offers an opportunity for controlling and tailoring the spin relaxation. In this paper, a ferromagnetic resonance study of a system with pure Gilbert damping Fe
_94.5
Si
_5.5
/MgO(001) is shown. Fe
₃
Si/MgO(001) systems with native magnon-magnon scattering are discussed. Possibilities for inducing magnon-magnon scattering by volume and surface defects in these systems are presented, offering a method for controlled tailoring of the overall damping in thin films.