Surface Magnetostriction Model for MagNEMS

In this work the influence of surface roughness on magnetostrictive nano-actuator parameters has been analyzed theoretically. A mechanical and magnetoelastic behavior of investigated cantilever bimorphic system has been described in the frame of the simple analytical model. Realistic material parameters have been incorporated into the model for high-magnetostrictive galfenol (Fe-Ga) thin films on silicon substrate. It has been shown that for 5 nm thick galfenol film a flat surface magnetostrictive effects modify the cantilever deflection and force only by 3%, whereas in the case of rough surface this influence increases to about 15%, when dimensions of roughness steps are comparable to the distances between them.