808 research outputs found
Superconductivity in spinel oxide LiTi2O4 epitaxial thin films
LiTi2O4 is a unique material in that it is the only known oxide spinel
superconductor. Although bulk studies have demonstrated that superconductivity
can be generally described by the Bardeen-Cooper-Schreiffer theory, the
microscopic mechanisms of superconductivity are not yet resolved fully. The
sensitivity of the superconducting properties to various defects of the spinel
crystal structure provides insight into such mechanisms. Epitaxial films of
LiTi2O4 on single crystalline substrates of MgAl2O4, MgO, and SrTiO3 provide
model systems to systematically explore the effects of lattice strain and
microstructural disorder. Lattice strain that affects bandwidth gives rise to
limited variations in the superconducting and normal state properties.
Microstructural disorder such as antiphase boundaries that give rise to Ti
network disorder can reduce the critical temperature, but Ti network disorder
combined with Mg interdiffusion can affect the superconducting state much more
dramatically. Thickness dependent transport studies indicate a
superconductor-insulator transition as a function of film thickness regardless
of lattice strain and microstructure. In addition, surface sensitive X-ray
absorption spectroscopy has identified Ti to retain site symmetry and average
valence of the bulk material regardless of film thickness.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, v2 - expanded Fig 1,2,7 with added discussion
Uncompensated magnetization and exchange-bias field in LaSrMnO/YMnO bilayers: The influence of the ferromagnetic layer
We studied the magnetic behavior of bilayers of multiferroic and nominally
antiferromagnetic o-YMnO (375~nm thick) and ferromagnetic
LaSrMnO and LaCaMnO (nm), in particular the vertical magnetization shift and exchange
bias field for different thickness and magnetic dilution of the
ferromagnetic layer at different temperatures and cooling fields. We have found
very large shifts equivalent to up to 100\% of the saturation value of
the o-YMO layer alone. The overall behavior indicates that the properties of
the ferromagnetic layer contribute substantially to the shift and that
this does not correlate straightforwardly with the measured exchange bias field
.Comment: 10 figures, 8 page
Angular dependence of the magnetization reversal in exchange biased Fe/MnF2
A detailed study of exchange-biased Fe/MnF2 bilayers using magneto-optical
Kerr Effect shows that the magnetization reversal occurs almost fully through
domain wall nucleation and propagation for external fields parallel to the
exchange bias direction. For finite angles phi between bias and external field
the magnetization is aligned perpendicular to the field cooling direction for a
limited field range for decreasing fields. For external fields perpendicular to
the bias direction the magnetization aligns with the field cooling direction
for descending and ascending fields before fully reversing. The field range for
which the magnetization is close to perpendicular to the external field can be
estimated using a simple effective field model.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, to appear in AP
The role of magnetic anisotropy in spin filter junctions
We have fabricated oxide based spin filter junctions in which we demonstrate
that magnetic anisotropy can be used to tune the transport behavior of spin
filter junctions. Until recently, spin filters have been largely comprised of
polycrystalline materials where the spin filter barrier layer and one of the
electrodes are ferromagnetic. These spin filter junctions have relied on the
weak magnetic coupling between one ferromagnetic electrode and a barrier layer
or the insertion of a nonmagnetic insulating layer in between the spin filter
barrier and electrode. We have demonstrated spin filtering behavior in
La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/chromite/Fe3O4 junctions without nonmagnetic spacer layers where
the interface anisotropy plays a significant role in determining transport
behavior. Detailed studies of chemical and magnetic structure at the interfaces
indicate that abrupt changes in magnetic anisotropy across the
non-isostructural interface is the cause of the significant suppression of
junction magnetoresistance in junctions with MnCr2O4 barrier layers.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Domain-resolved room-temperature magneto-electric coupling in manganite-titanate heterostructures
We present a model artificial multiferroic system consisting of a
(011)-oriented ferroelectric Pb(Mg,Nb,Ti)O substrate intimately coupled to
a ferromagnetic (La,Sr)MnO film through epitaxial strain and converse
piezoelectric effects. Electric field pulse sequences of less than 6 kV/cm were
shown to induce large reversible and bistable remanent strains in the manganite
film. Magnetic hysteresis loops demonstrate that the changes in strain states
result in significant changes in magnetic anisotropy from a highly anisotropic
two-fold magnetic symmetry to a more isotropic one. Such changes in magnetic
anisotropy are reversible upon multiple cycles and are stable at zero applied
electric field, and are accompanied by large changes in resistivity. We
directly image the change between the two-fold and isotropic magnetic
configurations at the scale of a single ferromagnetic domain using X-ray
photoemission electron microscopy as a function of applied electric field
pulses. Imaging the domain reversal process as a function of electric field
shows that the energy barrier for magnetization reversal is drastically
lowered, by up to 70% as determined from free energy calculations, through the
anisotropic strain change generated by the ferroelectric substrate. Thus, an
electric field pulse can be used to 'set' and 'reset' the magnetic anisotropy
orientation and resistive state in the film, as well as lowering the coercive
field required to reverse magnetization, showing a promising route towards
electric-field manipulation of multifunctional nanostructures at room
temperature.Comment: 6 figures, 1 tabl
Influence of chemical and magnetic interface properties of Co-Fe-B / MgO / Co-Fe-B tunnel junctions on the annealing temperature dependence of the magnetoresistance
The knowledge of chemical and magnetic conditions at the Co40Fe40B20 / MgO
interface is important to interpret the strong annealing temperature dependence
of tunnel magnetoresistance of Co-Fe-B / MgO / Co-Fe-B magnetic tunnel
junctions, which increases with annealing temperature from 20% after annealing
at 200C up to a maximum value of 112% after annealing at 350C. While the well
defined nearest neighbor ordering indicating crystallinity of the MgO barrier
does not change by the annealing, a small amount of interfacial Fe-O at the
lower Co-Fe-B / MgO interface is found in the as grown samples, which is
completely reduced after annealing at 275C. This is accompanied by a
simultaneous increase of the Fe magnetic moment and the tunnel
magnetoresistance. However, the TMR of the MgO based junctions increases
further for higher annealing temperature which can not be caused by Fe-O
reduction. The occurrence of an x-ray absorption near-edge structure above the
Fe and Co L-edges after annealing at 350C indicates the recrystallization of
the Co-Fe-B electrode. This is prerequisite for coherent tunneling and has been
suggested to be responsible for the further increase of the TMR above 275C.
Simultaneously, the B concentration in the Co-Fe-B decreases with increasing
annealing temperature, at least some of the B diffuses towards or into the MgO
barrier and forms a B2O3 oxide
Titanium Nitride as a Seed Layer for Heusler Compounds
Titanium nitride (TiN) shows low resistivity at room temperature, high
thermal stability and thus has the potential to serve as seed layer in magnetic
tunnel junctions. High quality TiN thin films with regard to the
crystallographic and electrical properties were grown and characterized by
X-ray diffraction and 4-terminal transport measurements. Element specific X-ray
absorption spectroscopy revealed pure TiN in the bulk. To investigate the
influence of a TiN seed layer on a ferro(i)magnetic bottom electrode, an
out-of-plane magnetized Mn2.45Ga as well as in- and out-of-plane magnetized
Co2FeAl thin films were deposited on a TiN buffer, respectively. The magnetic
properties were investigated using a superconducting quantum interference
device (SQUID) and anomalous Hall effect (AHE) for Mn2.45Ga. Magneto optical
Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements were carried out to investigate the magnetic
properties of Co2FeAl. TiN buffered Mn2.45Ga thin films showed higher
coercivity and squareness ratio compared to unbuffered samples. The Heusler
compound Co2FeAl showed already good crystallinity when grown at room
temperature
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