In epitaxial MnSi/Si(111) films, the in-plane magnetization saturation is never reached due to the formation of specific surface chiral modulations with the propagation direction perpendicular to the film surfaces [Wilson et al., Phys. Rev. B 88, 214420 (2013)]. In this paper we show that the occurrence of such chiral surface twists is a general effect attributed to all bulk and confined magnetic crystals lacking inversion symmetry. We present experimental investigations of this phenomenon in nanolayers of MnSi/Si(111) supported by detailed theoretical analysis within the standard phenomenological model. In magnetic nanolayers with intrinsic or induced chirality, such surface induced instabilities become sizable effects and play a crucial role in the formation of skyrmion lattices and other nontrivial chiral modulations.

• Received 21 May 2014
• Revised 23 June 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.014406