Structural and Magnetic Properties of CoV2O4 Thin Films

Spinel vanadates, poster materials for orbital physics in frustrated antiferromagnets, have been intensely studied in recent years to gain a better understanding on how orbital order helps relieve spin degeneracy. CoV2O4 is the most interesting because of its proximity to a localized-itinerant crossover regime. Only recently a weak spin canting and structural transition has been identified at T*= 90 K in powder samples at the edge of detectability, which has been associated with an orbital glass transition. We present xray, magnetization and neutron scattering results on CoV2O4 films grown on SrTiO3 substrates via pulsed laser deposition. In contrast to the weak effects seen in bulk powders and crystals, our films demonstrate clear signatures of spin canting, which can be associated with long-ranged orbital order.