Natural nanomorphous Ni/NiO magnetic multilayers: structure and magnetism of the high-Ar pressure series.

Natural nanomorphous Ni/NiO multilayers have exhibited interesting magnetic properties, such as an unusual positive surface anisotropy and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Most attention has been paid to multilayers prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering under relatively low (3 x 10(-3) mbar) Ar pressure. Here we report on the correlation between structural and magnetic properties for a new series of multilayers, prepared under relatively high (3 x 10(-2) mbar) Ar pressure. The crystalline Ni individual layer thickness ranges between 5-8 nm. The amorphous NiO layer thickness is constant, about 1.1 nm thick. X-ray reflectivity showed that in some of the multilayers the high-order Bragg peaks become broader and diminish quickly. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy reveals that this occurs because the first bilayers are formed in accordance to the growth conditions, while the ones near the top are vanished. Despite the deterioration of the interface quality, all samples show tendency for perpendicular magnetic anisotropy even for large bilayer thickness of about 9 nm. Similar tendency is observed even by a 330 nm thick non-multilayered Ni film grown under the same conditions. This observation reveals the important role of strain and magnetoelastic anisotropy as a source of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the Ni/NiO multilayers.

Magnetic properties of textured CoPd nanocrystalline thin films.

CoPd is an important nanomaterial for magnetic and magneto-optic storage of information. In this work, CoPd alloyed thin films are grown via radio frequency magnetron sputtering on silicon, glass and polyimide substrates in a vacuum chamber with base pressure of 5 x 10(-8) mbar. The films are nanocrystalline with grain size between 4 and 80 nm. The magnetic properties of thoroughly textured CoPd alloyed thin films are compared to random polycrystalline ones. Magnetization hysteresis loops recorded under fields up to 12 kOe via a home-made magneto-optic Kerr-effect magnetometer reveal strong tendency for perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for the textured film. This anisotropy leads to the formation of well-defined stripe or labyrinthine ferromagnetic domains with the local spins oriented perpendicular to the film plane. The domain patterns and the hysteresis loops are simulated with micromagnetic calculations. Finally, an induced magnetic moment of 0.44 microB/atom is measured for Pd via X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and it is separated into spin and orbital magnetic moment contributions.

Reversible exchange bias in epitaxial V2O3/Ni hybrid magnetic heterostructures.

In this work we present a temperature and angular dependent study of the structural and magnetic properties in highly crystalline V2O3/Ni/Zr magnetic heterostructure films. Our investigation focuses on the coupling between the ferromagnetic Ni layer and V2O3layer which undergoes an antiferromagnetic/paramagnetic phase transition coupled to the structural phase transition of the material at around 150 K. Structural investigations using x-ray diffraction reveal highly crystalline films of a quality which has previously not been reported in the literature. The Ni layers display an absence of in-plane magnetic anisotropy owing to the highly textured (1 1 1) layering of the Ni films on the underlying V2O3(0 0 0 1) oriented layer. During the transition we observe a strain related enhancement of the coercivity and the onset of a weak exchange bias for cooling under an external magnetic field. Heating the films to above the transition temperature, the exchange bias in the Ni is removed and can be reversed upon subsequent cooling under an inverted external magnetic field. Using temperature dependent polarized neutron reflectometry we investigate the film structure at the interface, capturing the magnetic and nuclear profiles.

A cost-effective growth of SiO(x) thin films by reactive sputtering: photoluminescence tuning.

We present a new cost-effective method to produce substoichiometric SiO2 thin films by means of a simple sputter-coater operated at a base pressure of 1 x 10(-3) mbar. During sputtering air is introduced through a fine valve so that the sputtering gas is a mixture of air/Ar. High-resolution electron microscopy shows the formation of amorphous SiO(x) thin films for the as-deposited samples. The index x approaches 1 when the ratio of the partial pressure of air/Ar tends to 0.1. On the other hand, pure silica is formed when the ratio of the partial pressure of air/Ar approaches 0.5. The films in the as-deposited state show intense green-yellow photoluminescence. This fades away with short annealing under air at 950 degrees C. If on the other hand, prolonged annealing is performed under Argon atmosphere at 1000 degrees C, red-infrared photoluminescence is recorded due to the formation of Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO2. This simple method could be suitable for the production of thin SiO(x) films with embedded nanocrystals for optoelectronic or photovoltaic applications.

Thermally induced magnetic relaxation in square artificial spin ice.

The properties of natural and artificial assemblies of interacting elements, ranging from Quarks to Galaxies, are at the heart of Physics. The collective response and dynamics of such assemblies are dictated by the intrinsic dynamical properties of the building blocks, the nature of their interactions and topological constraints. Here we report on the relaxation dynamics of the magnetization of artificial assemblies of mesoscopic spins. In our model nano-magnetic system - square artificial spin ice - we are able to control the geometrical arrangement and interaction strength between the magnetically interacting building blocks by means of nano-lithography. Using time resolved magnetometry we show that the relaxation process can be described using the Kohlrausch law and that the extracted temperature dependent relaxation times of the assemblies follow the Vogel-Fulcher law. The results provide insight into the relaxation dynamics of mesoscopic nano-magnetic model systems, with adjustable energy and time scales, and demonstrates that these can serve as an ideal playground for the studies of collective dynamics and relaxations.

Direct evidence for significant spin-polarization of EuS in Co/EuS multilayers at room temperature.

The new era of spintronics promises the development of nanodevices, where the electron spin will be used to store information and charge currents will be replaced by spin currents. For this, ferromagnetic semiconductors at room temperature are needed. We report on significant room-temperature spin polarization of EuS in Co/EuS multilayers recorded by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The films were found to contain a mixture of divalent and trivalent europium, but only Eu(++) is responsible for the ferromagnetic behavior of EuS. The magnetic XMCD signal of Eu at room temperature could unambiguously be assigned to magnetic ordering of EuS and was found to be only one order of magnitude smaller than that at 2.5 K. The room temperature magnetic moment of EuS is as large as the one of bulk ferromagnetic Ni. Our findings pave the path for fabrication of room-temperature spintronic devices using spin polarized EuS layers.

Temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity and electronic structure of amorphous Fe100-xZrx films and multilayers.

The electrical resistivity of amorphous Fe(100-x)Zr(x) metal alloy films and multilayers has been investigated in a wide temperature and composition range. The overall behavior of the resistivity is consistent with bulk measurements, exhibiting prominent semiconductor-like changes at low temperatures. The transition from positive (metallic) to negative temperature coefficient of resistivity behavior is accompanied by minute changes in magnetoresistance and we can therefore rule out magnetic phase changes as being the cause for the observed changes in the resistivity. Using x-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies we are able to probe the unoccupied and occupied electronic densities of states. The corresponding spectra are found to significantly overlap, as expected for a metallic-like electronic structure and the absence of a band gap. Besides a broadening of the x-ray emission lines expected from an amorphous material, remarkably small differences are observed in the electronic structures when changing the amount of Zr. The resistivity data were modeled and agreement with the Mott variable range hopping model was found, indicating localized electronic states due the disordered structure of the Fe(100-x)Zr(x) alloys.

Ab initio molecular dynamics model for density, elastic properties and short range order of Co-Fe-Ta-B metallic glass thin films.

Density, elastic modulus and the pair distribution function of Co-Fe-Ta-B metallic glasses were obtained by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and measured for sputtered thin films using x-ray reflectivity, nanoindentation and x-ray diffraction using high energy photons. The computationally obtained density of 8.19 g cm(-3) for Co(43)Fe(20)Ta(5.5)B(31.5) and 8.42 g cm(-3) for Co(45.5)Fe(24)Ta(6)B(24.5), as well as the Young's moduli of 273 and 251 GPa, respectively, are consistent with our experiments and literature data. These data, together with the good agreement between the theoretical and the experimental pair distribution functions, indicate that the model established here is useful to describe the density, elasticity and short range order of Co-Fe-Ta-B metallic glass thin films. Irrespective of the investigated variation in chemical composition, (Co, Fe)-B cluster formation and Co-Fe interactions are identified by density-of-states analysis. Strong bonds within the structural units and between the metallic species may give rise to the comparatively large stiffness.