Magnetic Field Control of Structural Perfection and Diffraction Properties of FeBO3 Single Crystals

In this work, high-resolution triple-crystal X-ray diffraction and reciprocal space mapping were applied to study the effect of magnetoelastic interactions on the structural perfection and diffraction properties of magnetically ordered iron borate crystals. It was established that the presence of magnetic domains with different orientation of magnetization and near-surface magnetism effect in FeBO3 leads to the appearance of disordered areas in crystals and slight changes in the lattice parameters. This is affected in the broadening or splitting of the reciprocal lattice point and diffraction properties of the crystal. An applied weak external magnetic field alters the domain structure and significantly improves the diffraction characteristics of FeBO3 crystals. This effect is important for practical applications of iron borate crystals, including the use of these crystals as X-ray modulators.