Microscale uniaxial strain mapping in antiferromagnetic Sr2IrO4

Recent Raman experiments have placed Sr2IrO4 as a model system for antiferromagnetic magnonics due the very high stress sensitivity of the magnon energy to uniaxial strain, potentially establishing mechanical stress as a control parameter for future device applications. Through ion beam milling and microfabrication, we have statically bent a bar-shaped portion of a single crystal of Sr2IrO4 which through its spatial strain profile could confine magnons in planes of equal stress. Using scanning probe strain microscopy, we will record a 2D strain map of our sample that can be correlated with results of present and future spatially resolved Raman scattering investigations that directly probe the magnon energy and its spatial variation. The expected strain profile has also been calculated using finite element simulations which will establish this tool as a reliable way of connecting magnetic or electronic properties in bent oxide crystals with mechanical behaviour at the microscale.