Coupled magnetic, structural, and electronic phase transitions in FeRh

The B2-ordered intermetallic magnetic compound FeRh exhibits a thermodynamically first-order phase transition in the vicinity of room temperature that makes it a highly intriguing subject for both fundamental and applied study. On heating through the transition the magnetic character changes from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic order with an accompanying large increase in the electrical conductivity and an abrupt expansion in the lattice structure. Accompanying these effects is a very large entropy change comprising both magnetic and lattice contributions. As well as being driven by temperature, these coupled phase transitions may be driven by the application or removal of a magnetic field, or, because of the extremely strong lattice-spin interactions present in this compound, by an applied strain (pressure), and combinations thereof. In addition to these driving factors, the transition temperature can also be tuned by both compositional and finite size effects. Building from historical work on bulk forms of FeRh, the effects of extrinsic and intrinsic parameter variation on the coupled magnetic, structural, and electronic phase transitions are reviewed here, with special attention directed to phenomena that manifest themselves in thin films. Overall, the rich manner in which the physical properties of FeRh change at the phase transition has potential for a wide range of technological applications in areas such as thermally-assisted magnetic recording media, CFC-free magnetic cooling, sensors for energy management, and novel spintronic devices.