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At least 451 records · Page 25

Ferromagnetic resonance of a YIG film in the low frequency regime

An improved method for characterizing the magnetic anisotropy of films with cubic symmetry is described and is applied to an yttrium iron garnet (111) film. Analysis of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra performed both in-plane and out-of-plane from 0.7 to 8 GHz yielded the magnetic anisotropy constants as well as the saturation magnetization. The field at which FMR is observed turns out to be quite sensitive to anisotropy constants (by more than a factor ten) in the low frequency (<2 GHz) regime, and when the orientation of the magnetic field is nearly normal to the sample plane; the restoring force on the magnetization arising from the magnetocrystalline anisotropy fields is then comparable to that from the external field, thereby allowing the anisotropy constants to be determined with greater accuracy. In this region, unusual dynamical behaviors are observed such as multiple resonances and a switching of FMR resonance with only a 1° change in field orientation at 0.7 GHz.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Spin correlations and electron transport in MnBi:Au films

The structural, magnetic, and electron transport properties of Mn{sub 55-x}Au{sub x}Bi{sub 45} (x = 0, 4.5) thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering have been investigated. The magnetization of the MnBi films decreases and the coercivity increases due to Au doping. The temperature dependence of resistivity between 2 to 300 K shows that the films are metallic but the 4.5% Au-doped film shows a Kondo behavior with resistance minimum at 10.2 K. The magnetoresistance is anisotropic and the positive transverse magnetoresistance is significantly enhanced (16.3% at 70 kOe) by Au doping. We interpret these data in terms of a model in which Au atoms preferentially substitute for Mn atoms on the Mn lattice, and some Mn atoms are displaced to interstitial sites in the NiAs structure. These interstitial Mn atoms are coupled antiferromagnetically to the Mn atoms on the original Mn lattice leading to the large decrease in magnetization, Kondo effect, and the positive magnetoresistance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Is perpendicular magnetic anisotropy essential to all-optical ultrafast spin reversal in ferromagnets?

All-optical spin reversal presents a new opportunity for spin manipulations, free of a magnetic field. Most of all-optical-spin-reversal ferromagnets are found to have a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), but it has been unknown whether PMA is necessary for spin reversal. Here we theoretically investigate magnetic thin films with either PMA or in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA). Our results show that spin reversal in IMA systems is possible, but only with a longer laser pulse and within a narrow laser parameter region. Spin reversal does not show a strong helicity dependence where the left- and right-circularly polarized light lead to the identical results. By contrast, the spin reversal in PMA systems is robust, provided both the spin angular momentum and laser field are strong enough while the magnetic anisotropy itself is not too strong. This explains why experimentally the majority of all-optical spin-reversal samples are found to have strong PMA and why spins in Fe nanoparticles only cant out of plane. It is the laser-induced spin–orbit torque that plays a key role in the spin reversal. Surprisingly, the same spin–orbit torque results in laser-induced spin rectification in spin-mixed configuration, a prediction that can be tested experimentally. Our results clearly point out that PMA is essential to spin reversal, though there is an opportunity for in-plane spin reversal.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetic and structural properties of Ni film deposited on Si substrate

The structural and magnetic properties of as deposited and annealed Au capped Ni (20 nm) thin films on Si substrate are reported here. In the as prepared condition, the material does not show intermixing but annealing induces clusterization of mobile Ni atoms resulting in an increase in average crystallite size from ∼12 nm to ∼25 nm as revealed from X-ray diffraction measurements. Also, there is significant intermixing at the Ni/Si interface, which leads to the increase in coercivity and M{sub r}/M{sub s} ratio from 14 Oe to 93 Oe and 0.073 to 0.49 respectively. These polycrystalline samples were also subjected to low temperature (5 K) magnetic measurements in order to look for their compatibility for making magnetic recording structures. At low temperature, the as prepared sample shows coercivity of ∼283 Oe which increases to ∼300 Oe in annealed sample. The results are explained in terms of annealing induced intermixing, increase in grain size and release of stresses at Ni/Si interface.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Spin dynamics and frequency dependence of magnetic damping study in soft ferromagnetic FeTaC film with a stripe domain structure

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and low magnetic damping are the key factors for the free layer magnetization switching by spin transfer torque technique in magnetic tunnel junction devices. The magnetization precessional dynamics in soft ferromagnetic FeTaC thin film with a stripe domain structure was explored in broad band frequency range by employing micro-strip ferromagnetic resonance technique. The polar angle variation of resonance field and linewidth at different frequencies have been analyzed numerically using Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation by taking into account the total free energy density of the film. The numerically estimated parameters Landé g-factor, PMA constant, and effective magnetization are found to be 2.1, 2 × 10{sup 5} erg/cm{sup 3} and 7145 Oe, respectively. The frequency dependence of Gilbert damping parameter (α) is evaluated by considering both intrinsic and extrinsic effects into the total linewidth analysis. The value of α is found to be 0.006 at 10 GHz and it increases monotonically with decreasing precessional frequency.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Growth and characterization of Pt-protected Gd{sub 5}Si{sub 4} thin films

Successful growth and characterization of thin films of giant magnetocaloric Gd{sub 5}(Si{sub x}Ge{sub 1−x}){sub 4} were reported in the literature with limited success. The inherent difficulty in producing this complex material makes it difficult to characterize all the phases present in the thin films of this material. Therefore, thin film of binary compound of Gd{sub 5}Si{sub 4} was deposited by pulsed laser deposition. It was then covered with platinum on the top of the film to protect against any oxidation when the film was exposed to ambient conditions. The average film thickness was measured to be approximately 350 nm using a scanning electron microscopy, and the composition of the film was analyzed using energy dispersive spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates the presence of Gd{sub 5}Si{sub 4} orthorhombic structure along with Gd{sub 5}Si{sub 3} secondary phase. The transition temperature of the film was determined from magnetic moment vs. temperature measurement. The transition temperature was between 320 and 345 K which is close to the transition temperature of the bulk material. Magnetic moment vs. magnetic field measurement confirmed that the film was ferromagnetic below 342 K.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Modification of the structural and magnetic properties of granular FePt films by seed layer conditioning

The steadily increasing amount of digital information necessitates the availability of reliable high capacity magnetic data storage. Here, future hard disk drives with extended areal storage densities beyond 1.0 Tb/in{sup 2} are envisioned by using high anisotropy granular and chemically L1{sub 0}-ordered FePt (002) perpendicular media within a heat-assisted magnetic recording scheme. Perpendicular texturing of the [001] easy axes of the individual grains can be achieved by using MgO seed layers. It is therefore investigated, if and how an Ar{sup +} ion irradiation of the MgO seed layer prior to the deposition of the magnetic material influences the MgO surface properties and hereby the FePt [001] texture. Structural investigations reveal a flattening of the seed layer surface accompanied by a change in the morphology of the FePt grains. Moreover, the fraction of small second layer particles and the degree of coalescence of the primarily deposited FePt grains strongly increases. As for the magnetic performance, this results in a reduced coercivity along the magnetic easy axis (out of plane) and in enhanced hard axis (in-plane) remanence values. The irradiation induced changes in the magnetic properties of the granular FePt-C films are traced back to the accordingly modified atomic structure of the FePt-MgO interface region.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

TH-CD-BRA-06: Magnetic Field Effects On Gafchromic-Film Response in MR-IGRT

Purpose: To investigate the effects of magnetic fields in radiochromic films (RCF). Magnetokinetic changes may affect crystal orientation and polymerization within active layer of RCF, these effects are investigated in Magnetic Resonance Image-guided Radiotherapy (MR-IGRT). Methods: Gafchromic EBT2 RCF were irradiated in a 30×30×30 cm{sup 3} solid water phantom using a ViewRay MRIdian Co-60 MRI guided radiotherapy system (B=0.35 T). Fifteen 20.3×25.4 cm{sup 2} EBT2 film sheets were placed at three different depths (d=0.5, 5 and 10 cm) and irradiated using 5 different treatment plans. The plans were computed using the MRIdian treatment planning system to deliver 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 Gy at a depth of 10 cm. The films were scanned using an Epson Expression 10000 XL flat-bed document scanner in transmission mode. Films were processed before and after irradiation to obtain a net optical density (netOD) for each color channel separately. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were obtained to compare the active layer of selected samples. Results: The results show the red channel netOD decreases between 1.3–12.3 % (average of 5.95 %) for doses above 2.8 Gy, with a linear increase in this effect for higher doses. Green channel netOD showed similar results with a decrease between 1.2–10.5 % (average of 4.09 %) for doses above 3.5 Gy. Blue channel showed the weakest effect between 1.3–2.9 % (average of 1.94 %) for doses above 8.0 Gy. SEM images show changes in crystal orientation within active layer in RCF exposed in a magnetic field. Conclusion: The presence of a magnetic field affects crystal orientation and polymerization during irradiation, decreasing netOD by an average of 5.95 % in the red channel. The under response is dependent on dose and differs by up to 12.3 % at 17.6 Gy. The results show that magnetokinetic effects should be carefully considered in MR-IGRT.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Co–In{sub 2}O{sub 3} Nanocomposite Films: Synthesis and Structural and Magnetic Properties

The structural and magnetic properties of granular Co–In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposite films formed by vacuum annealing of In/Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} film bilayers at a temperature of 550°C have been investigated. The synthesized Co–In{sub 2}O{sub 3} films contain ferromagnetic cobalt nanoclusters with an average size of 60 nm and a magnetization of ~340 emu/cm{sup 3} surrounded by the In{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer and exhibit the thermally activated conductivity.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Magnetization enhancement due to incorporation of non-magnetic nitrogen content in (Co{sub 84}Zr{sub 16})N{sub x} nano-composite films

We report the magnetic, electronic, and structural properties of nano-composite (Co{sub 84}Zr{sub 16})N{sub x} or CZN films prepared by reactive co-sputter deposition method. As-deposited CZN films have shown enhancement in magnetization (M{sub s}) with incorporation of nitrogen content, which is related to the evolution of nano-composite phase. X-ray diffraction study has confirmed poly-crystalline growth of CZN films with fcc(331) and fcc(422) phases. High-resolution transmission electron microscope study reveals that CZN films are composed of ordered and crystalline ferromagnetic Co nano-clusters, which are embedded in the nano-composite matrix. Photoemission measurements show the change in the intensity near the Fermi level most likely due to defects and shift in the core-levels binding energy with nitrogen concentration. Raman spectroscopy data show an increase in the intensity of the Raman lines with nitrogen concentration upto 20%. However, the intensity is significantly lower for 30% sample. This indicates that less nitrogen or defect states are being substituted into the lattice above 20% and is consistent with the observed magnetic behavior. Our studies indicate that defects induced due to the incorporation of non-magnetic nitrogen content play a key role to enhance the magnetization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Colloquium : Quantum anomalous Hall effect

The quantum Hall (QH) effect, quantized Hall resistance combined with zero longitudinal resistance, is the characteristic experimental fingerprint of Chern insulators—topologically nontrivial states of two-dimensional matter with broken time-reversal symmetry. In Chern insulators, nontrivial bulk band topology is expressed by chiral states that carry current along sample edges without dissipation. Here, the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect refers to QH effects that occur in the absence of external magnetic fields due to spontaneously broken time-reversal symmetry. The QAH effect has now been realized in four different classes of two-dimensional materials: (i) thin films of magnetically (Cr- and/or V-) doped topological insulators in the (Bi,Sb) 2 T 3 family, (ii) thin films of the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi 2 Te 4 , (iii) moiré materials formed from graphene, and (iv) moiré materials formed from transition-metal dichalcogenides. In this Colloquium, the physical mechanisms responsible for each class of QAH insulator are reviewed, with both differences and commonalities highlighted, and potential applications of the QAH effect are commented upon.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Epitaxial growth of 100-μm thick M-type hexaferrite crystals on wide bandgap semiconductor GaN/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates

Thick barium hexaferrite BaFe{sub 12}O{sub 19} (BaM) films having thicknesses of ∼100 μm were epitaxially grown on GaN/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates from a molten-salt solution by vaporizing the solvent. X-ray diffraction measurement verified the growth of BaM (001) textured growth of thick films. Saturation magnetization, 4πM{sub s}, was measured for as-grown films to be 4.6 ± 0.2 kG and ferromagnetic resonance measurements revealed a microwave linewidth of ∼100 Oe at X-band. Scanning electron microscopy indicated clear hexagonal crystals distributed on the semiconductor substrate. These results demonstrate feasibility of growing M-type hexaferrite crystal films on wide bandgap semiconductor substrates by using a simple powder melting method. It also presents a potential pathway for the integration of ferrite microwave passive devices with active semiconductor circuit elements creating system-on-a-wafer architectures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Ultra-low magnetic damping in epitaxial Li 0.5 Fe 2.5 O 4 thin films

The realization of more energy efficient nanomagnetic information devices relies on the existence of magnetic insulators capable of supporting pure spin currents in the absence of a dissipative charge current. Currently, there is a limited number of thin-film magnetic insulators with low magnetic damping. Li 0.5 Fe 2.5 O 4 (LFO) is well known to possess the lowest damping among the bulk spinel structure oxides, but, thus far, LFO thin films have not lived up to these expectations. Here, we demonstrate low magnetic damping (even lower than typical bulk values) and bulk magnetization in 3 nm thick epitaxial LFO thin films. At room temperature, SQUID magnetometry shows a high saturation magnetization of 320 kA/m, and broadband ferromagnetic resonance measurements yield an effective Gilbert damping parameter of 1.3×10 -3 , which is among the lowest reported for ferro-/ferrimagnetic films of comparable thickness. Our results show the promise of LFO as a candidate material for spin current-based spintronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Switchable orbital polarization and magnetization in strained LaCo O 3 films

Strain engineering of epitaxial heterostructures offers opportunities to control the orbital degree of freedom by lifting the degeneracy of e g states. In this work, we show that the orbital occupation in LaCoO 3 (LCO) films can be switched between two degenerate e g bands with epitaxial strain. The orbital polarization of nearly -100% (or 100%) is controlled by depleting occupation of the d x2-y2 (or d( 3z2-r2 ) orbital entirely in LCO for large compressive (or moderate tensile) strain. The change of electronic configuration associated with the spin-state transition modulates the magnetization of strained LCO films. Under compressive strain, LCO films exhibit a small magnetization without long-range ferromagnetic ordering. With tensile-strain increases, the magnetization of LCO films increases and reaches the maximum value when the bonding angle (Co-O-Co) is close to 180° and the in-plane bond length (Co-O) is unstretched. Our results highlight the role of octahedral distortion and spin-state crossover in tailoring the magnetic properties of cobaltite thin films, indicating an attractive route to deliberately control the orbital polarization that can be tuned to maximize the functionality of oxide heterostructures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Anomalous thickness-dependent strain states and strain-tunable magnetization in Zn-doped ferrite epitaxial films

A series of Zn{sub x}Fe{sub 3−x}O{sub 4} (ZFO, x = 0.4) thin films were epitaxially deposited on single-crystal (001)-SrTiO{sub 3} (STO) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The anomalous thickness-dependent strain states of ZFO films were found, i.e., a tensile in-plane strain exists in the thinner ZFO film and which monotonously turns into compressive in the thicker films. Considering the lattice constant of bulk ZFO is bigger than that of STO, this strain state cannot be explained in the conventional framework of lattice-mismatch-induced strain in the hetero-epitaxial system. This unusual phenomenon is proposed to be closely related to the Volmer-Weber film growth mode in the thinner films and incorporation of the interstitial atoms into the island's boundaries during subsequent epitaxial growth of the thicker films. The ZFO/STO epitaxial film is found in the nature of magnetic semiconductor by transport measurements. The in-plane magnetization of the ZFO/STO films is found to increase as the in-plane compressive strain develops, which is further proved in the (001)-ZFO/PMN-PT film where the film strain state can be in situ controlled with applied electric field. This compressive-strain-enhanced magnetization can be attributed to the strain-mediated electric-field-induced in-plane magnetic anisotropy field enhancement. The above results indicate that strain engineering on magnetic oxide semiconductor ZFO films is promising for novel oxide-electronic devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetic Anisotropy of Graphene-Coated Thin Iron Films

The ab initio calculations of the magnetic anisotropy of thin (to six monolayers) nickel films and iron films with unusual fcc structures formed upon intercalation of graphene with Fe atoms are presented. The data have been obtained for both the pure-surface films and the films coated with graphene. The density functional theory and the pseudopotential method are used to calculate the magnetic moments of atoms of all the layers and to determine the total energies of the structures with different orientations of magnetic moments of iron and nickel atoms with respect to the film surface. A strong influence of graphene on the magnetic properties contacting iron films is demonstrated.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗