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At least 469 records · Page 26

Magnetothermoelectric figure of merit of Co/Cu multilayers

The switching of the magnetic configuration of giant magnetoresistance multilayers not only changes the electrical and thermal conductivities but also the thermopower. We study the magnetotransport and the magnetothermoelectric properties of Co/Cu multilayer devices in a lateral thermal gradient. The Seebeck coefficient reaches values up to −18 μV/K at room temperature and shows a magnetic field dependence up to 28.6% upon spin reversal. In combination with thermal conductivity data of the same Co/Cu stack, we find a magnetothermoelectric figure of merit of up to 65%. Furthermore, a magneto-power factor of up to 110% is derived.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

First-principles study of carrier-induced ferromagnetism in bilayer and multilayer zigzag graphene nanoribbons

We studied magnetism in bilayer and multilayer zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) through first-principles density functional theory calculations. We found that the magnetic ground state of bilayer ZGNRs is the C-type antiferromagnetic (AFM) state, which is the AFM order between intraplane-edge carbon atoms and ferromagnetic (FM) order between interplane edge carbon atoms. In the cases of infinitely stacked multilayer ZGNRs, i.e., zigzag graphite nanoribbons, the C-type AFM state is also the most stable. By carrier doping, we found that the magnetic ground state changed from the C-AFM state to the FM state and, thus, realized two-dimensional FM surface (edge) states of graphite with a metallic conductivity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Improved thermoelectric power output from multilayered polyethylenimine doped carbon nanotube based organic composites

By appropriately selecting the carbon nanotube type and n-type dopant for the conduction layers in a multilayered carbon nanotube composite, the total device thermoelectric power output can be increased significantly. The particular materials chosen in this study were raw single walled carbon nanotubes for the p-type layers and polyethylenimine doped single walled carbon nanotubes for the n-type layers. The combination of these two conduction layers leads to a single thermocouple Seebeck coefficient of 96 ± 4 μVK{sup −1}, which is 6.3 times higher than that previously reported. This improved Seebeck coefficient leads to a total power output of 14.7 nW per thermocouple at the maximum temperature difference of 50 K, which is 44 times the power output per thermocouple for the previously reported results. Ultimately, these thermoelectric power output improvements help to increase the potential use of these lightweight, flexible, and durable organic multilayered carbon nanotube based thermoelectric modules in low powered electronics applications, where waste heat is available.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Fabrication and characterization of nanometric SiOx/SiOy multilayer structures obtained by LPCVD

This work presents the fabrication of nanometric multilayer structures and their characterization by Atomic Force Microscopy, Photoluminescence and Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy. The structures were deposited by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD). Three types of multilayer structure were fabricated. After the deposition some samples were annealed in N{sub 2} ambient for three hours. It was found that the structures keep the characteristics of each layer.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Propagation of Dirac electrons in Cantor graphene multilayers

In this work we use the standard T-matrix method to study the tunneling of Dirac electrons through graphene multilayers. A graphene sheet is deposited on top of slabs of Silicon-Oxide (SiO{sub 2}) and Silicon-Carbide (SiC) substrates, in which we applied the Cantor’s series. We calculate the transmittance as a function of energy for different incident angles and different generations of the Cantor’s series. Comparing the transmittance, we found three types of self-similarity: (a) local - into generations, (b) between incident angles and (c) between generations. We also compute the angular distribution of the transmittance for fixed energies finding a self-similar pattern between generations. To our knowledge is the first time that four different self-similar patterns are presented in Cantor-based multilayers.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Deconvolution of mixed magnetism in multilayer graphene

Magnetic properties of graphite modified at the edges by KCl and exfoliated graphite in the form of twisted multilayered graphene (<4 layers) are analyzed to understand the evolution of magnetic behavior in the absence of any magnetic impurities. The mixed magnetism in multilayer graphene is deconvoluted using Low field-high field hysteresis loops at different temperatures. In addition to temperature and the applied magnetic field, the density of edge state spins and the interaction between them decides the nature of the magnetic state. By virtue of magnetometry and electron spin resonance studies, we demonstrate that ferromagnetism is intrinsic and is due to the interactions among various paramagnetic centers. The strength of these magnetic correlations can be controlled by modifying the structure.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Long-term stable water vapor permeation barrier properties of SiN/SiCN/SiN nanolaminated multilayers grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at extremely low pressures

We investigated the water vapor permeation barrier properties of 30-nm-thick SiN/SiCN/SiN nanolaminated multilayer structures grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 7 mTorr. The derived water vapor transmission rate was 1.12 × 10{sup −6} g/(m{sup 2} day) at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity, and this value was maintained up to 15 000 h of aging time. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the nanolaminated film was composed of an amorphous phase. A mixed phase was observed upon performing high resolution transmission electron microscope analysis, which indicated that a thermodynamically stable structure was formed. It was revealed amorphous SiN/SiCN/SiN multilayer structures that are free from intermixed interface defects effectively block water vapor permeation into active layer.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Magnetic switching behaviors of orbital states with different magnetic quantum numbers in Au/Fe/MgO multilayer system

A spin specific magnetic hysteresis (SSMH) curve and an orbital specific magnetic hysteresis (OSMH) curve are obtained for Fe/Au/Fe/MgO multilayers by magnetic Compton scattering and SQUID magnetometer measurements. The SSMH curve with each contribution of magnetic quantum number |m| = 0, 1, and 2 states is obtained by decomposition analyses of magnetic Compton profiles. Residual magnetization is observed for the SSMH curve with magnetic quantum number |m| = 0, 2 and the OSMH curve. Although the SQUID magnetometer measurements do not show perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in the present Fe/Au/Fe/MgO multilayer film, the SSMH curve with magnetic quantum number |m| = 0, 2 and OSMH curve show switching behaviors of PMA.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Manipulating surface diffusion and elastic interactions to obtain quantum dot multilayer arrangements over different length scales

An innovative multilayer growth of InAs quantum dots on GaAs(100) is demonstrated to lead to self-aggregation of correlated quantum dot chains over mesoscopic distances. The fundamental idea is that at critical growth conditions is possible to drive the dot nucleation only at precise locations corresponding to the local minima of the Indium chemical potential. Differently from the known dot multilayers, where nucleation of new dots on top of the buried ones is driven by the surface strain originating from the dots below, here the spatial correlations and nucleation of additional dots are mostly dictated by a self-engineering of the surface occurring during the growth, close to the critical conditions for dot formation under the fixed oblique direction of the incoming As flux, that drives the In surface diffusion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A full-dimensional multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree study on the ultraviolet absorption spectrum of formaldehyde oxide

Employing the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree (ML-MCTDH) method in conjunction with the multistate multimode vibronic coupling Hamiltonian (MMVCH) model, we perform a full dimensional (9D) quantum dynamical study on the simplest Criegee intermediate, formaldehyde oxide, in five lower-lying singlet electronic states. The ultraviolet (UV) spectrum is then simulated by a Fourier transform of the auto-correlation function. The MMVCH model is built based on extensive MRCI(8e,8o)/aug-cc-pVTZ calculations. To ensure a fast convergence of the final calculations, a large number of ML-MCTDH test calculations is performed to find an appropriate multilayer separations (ML-trees) of the ML-MCTDH nuclear wave functions, and the dynamical calculations are carefully checked to ensure that the calculations are well converged. To compare the computational efficiency, standard MCTDH simulations using the same Hamiltonian are also performed. A comparison of the MCTDH and ML-MCTDH calculations shows that even for the present not-too-large system (9D here) the ML-MCTDH calculations can save a considerable amount of computational resources while producing identical spectra as the MCTDH calculations. Furthermore, the present theoretical B{sup ~} {sup 1}A{sup ′}←X{sup ~} {sup 1}A{sup ′} UV spectral band and the corresponding experimental measurements [J. M. Beames, F. Liu, L. Lu, and M. I. Lester, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134, 20045–20048 (2012); L. Sheps, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 4, 4201–4205 (2013); W.-L. Ting, Y.-H. Chen, W. Chao, M. C. Smith, and J. J.-M. Lin, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 16, 10438–10443 (2014)] are discussed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first theoretical UV spectrum simulated for this molecule including nuclear motion beyond an adiabatic harmonic approximation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Nanocrystalline Si pathway induced unipolar resistive switching behavior from annealed Si-rich SiN{sub x}/SiN{sub y} multilayers

Adding a resistive switching functionality to a silicon microelectronic chip is a new challenge in materials research. Here, we demonstrate that unipolar and electrode-independent resistive switching effects can be realized in the annealed Si-rich SiN{sub x}/SiN{sub y} multilayers with high on/off ratio of 10{sup 9}. High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that for the high resistance state broken pathways composed of discrete nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) exist in the Si nitride multilayers. While for the low resistance state the discrete nc-Si regions is connected, forming continuous nc-Si pathways. Based on the analysis of the temperature dependent I-V characteristics and HRTEM photos, we found that the break-and-bridge evolution of nc-Si pathway is the origin of resistive switching memory behavior. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of the resistive switching behavior in nc-Si films, opening a way for it to be utilized as a material in Si-based memories.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Precise control of interface anisotropy during deposition of Co/Pd multilayers

We demonstrate the control of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in multilayer films without modification of either the microstructure or saturation magnetization by tuning the Ar{sup +} ion energy using remote plasma sputtering. We show that for [Co/Pd]{sub 8} multilayer films, increasing the Ar{sup +} ion energy results in a strong decrease in PMA through an increase in interfacial roughness determined by X-ray reflectivity measurements. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope image data show that the microstructure is independent of Ar{sup +} energy. This opens a different approach to the in-situ deposition of graded exchange springs and for control of the polarizing layer in hybrid spin transfer torque devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Extraordinary reflection and transmission with direction dependent wavelength selectivity based on parity-time-symmetric multilayers

In this paper, we present a kind of periodical ternary parity-time (PT) -symmetric multilayers to realize nearly 100% reflectance and transmittance simultaneously when light is incident from a certain direction. This extraordinary reflection and transmission is original from unidirectional Bragg reflection of PT-symmetric systems as the symmetry spontaneous breaking happens at PT thresholds. The extra energy involved in reflection and transmission lights is obtained from pumping light to the gain regions of the structure. Moreover, we find that our PT-symmetric structure shows direction dependent wavelength selectivity. When the illumination light is incident from two opposite directions into the multilayer structure, such extraordinary reflection and transmission appear at visible and near-infrared wavelengths, respectively. Such distinguishing properties may provide these structures with attractive applications as beam splitters, laser mirrors, narrow band filters, and multiband PT-symmetric optical devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

High efficiency of the spin-orbit torques induced domain wall motion in asymmetric interfacial multilayered Tb/Co wires

We investigated current-induced DW motion in asymmetric interfacial multilayered Tb/Co wires for various thicknesses of magnetic and Pt-capping layers. It is found that the driving mechanism for the DW motion changes from interfacial to bulk effects at much thick magnetic layer (up to 19.8 nm). In thin wires, linearly depinning field dependence of critical current density and in-plane field dependence of DW velocity suggest that the extrinsic pinning governs field-induced DW motion and injecting current can be regarded as an effective field. It is expected that the high efficiency of spin-orbit torques in thick magnetic multilayers would have important implication for future spintronic devices based on in-plane current induced-DW motion or switching.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Study of NbC thin films for soft X-ray multilayer applications

Compound materials are being used in soft x-ray and Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optics applications. Structural properties of compound materials changes drastically when ultrathin films are formed from bulk material. Structural properties need to be investigated to determine the suitability of compound materials in soft x-ray multilayer applications. In the present study Niobium carbide (NbC) thin films were deposited using ion beam sputtering of an NbC target on Si (100) substrate. Thickness roughness and film mass density was determined from the X-ray reflectivity (XRR) data. XRR data revealed that the film mass density was increasing with increase in film thickness. For 500Ǻ thick film, mass density of 6.85 g/cm{sup 3}, close to bulk density was found. Rms roughness for all the films was less than 10Å. Local structure of NbC thin films was determined from EXAFS measurements. The EXAFS data showed an increase in Nb-C and Nb-(C)-Nb peak ratio approaches towards bulk NbC with increasing thickness of NbC. From the present study, NbC thin films were found suitable for actual use in soft x-ray multilayer applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Intermixing in Cu/Ni multilayers induced by cold rolling

Repeated cold rolling was performed on multilayers of Cu60/Ni40 and Cu40/Ni60 foil arrays to study the details of driven atomic scale interfacial mixing. With increasing deformation, there is a significant layer refinement down to the nm level that leads to the formation of a solid solution phase from the elemental end members. Intriguingly, the composition of the solid solution is revealed by an oscillation in the composition profile across the multilayers, which is different from the smoothly varying profile due to thermally activated diffusion. During the reaction, Cu mixed into Ni preferentially compared to Ni mixing into Cu, which is also in contrast to the thermal diffusion behavior. This is confirmed by observations from X-ray diffraction, electron energy loss spectrum and atom probe tomography. The diffusion coefficient induced by cold rolling is estimated as 1.7 × 10{sup −17} m{sup 2}/s, which cannot be attributed to any thermal effect. The effective temperature due to the deformation induced mixing is estimated as 1093 K and an intrinsic diffusivity d{sub b}, which quantifies the tendency towards equilibrium in the absence of thermal diffusion, is estimated as 6.38 × 10{sup −18} m{sup 2}/s. The fraction of the solid solution phase formed is illustrated by examining the layer thickness distribution and is described by using an error function representation. The evolution of mixing in the solid solution phase is described by a simplified sinusoid model, in which the amplitude decays with increased deformation level. The promoted diffusion coefficient could be related to the effective temperature concept, but the establishment of an oscillation in the composition profile is a characteristic behavior that develops due to deformation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Magnetic phase transitions in Ta/CoFeB/MgO multilayers

We study thin films and magnetic tunnel junction nanopillars based on Ta/Co{sub 20}Fe{sub 60}B{sub 20}/MgO multilayers by electrical transport and magnetometry measurements. These measurements suggest that an ultrathin magnetic oxide layer forms at the Co{sub 20}Fe{sub 60}B{sub 20}/MgO interface. At approximately 160 K, the oxide undergoes a phase transition from an insulating antiferromagnet at low temperatures to a conductive weak ferromagnet at high temperatures. This interfacial magnetic oxide is expected to have significant impact on the magnetic properties of CoFeB-based multilayers used in spin torque memories.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Micro-structural characterization of low resistive metallic Ni germanide growth on annealing of Ni-Ge multilayer

Nickel-Germanides are an important class of metal semiconductor alloys because of their suitability in microelectronics applications. Here we report successful formation and detailed characterization of NiGe metallic alloy phase at the interfaces of a Ni-Ge multilayer on controlled annealing at relatively low temperature ∼ 250 °C. Using x-ray and polarized neutron reflectometry, we could estimate the width of the interfacial alloys formed with nanometer resolution and found the alloy stoichiometry to be equiatomic NiGe, a desirable low-resistance interconnect. We found significant drop in resistance (∼ 50%) on annealing the Ni-Ge multilayer suggesting metallic nature of alloy phase at the interfaces. Further we estimated the resistivity of the alloy phase to be ∼ 59μΩ cm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗