Direct imaging of long-range ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic order in a dipolar metamaterial

Magnetic metamaterials such as artificial spin ice offer a route to tailor magnetic properties. Such materials can be fabricated by lithographically defining arrays of nanoscale magnetic islands. The magnetostatic interactions between the elements are influenced by their shape and geometric arrangement and can lead to long-range ordering. We demonstrate how the magnetic order in a two-dimensional periodic array of circular disks is controlled by the lattice symmetry. Antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic order extending through the entire array is observed for the square and hexagonal lattice, respectively. Furthermore, we show that a minute deviation from perfect circularity of the elements along a preferred direction results in room-temperature blocking and favors collinear spin textures

Controlling the switching field in nanomagnets by means of domain-engineered antiferromagnets

Using soft x-ray spectromicroscopy, we investigate the magnetic domain structure in embedded nanomagnets defined in La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ thin films and LaFeO$_3$/La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ bilayers. We find that shape-controlled antiferromagnetic domain states give rise to a significant reduction of the switching field of the rectangular nanomagnets. This is discussed in the framework of competition between an intrinsic spin-flop coupling and shape anisotropy. The data demonstrates that shape effects in antiferromagnets may be used to control the magnetic properties in nanomagnets

Spin-Flop Coupling and Exchange Bias in Embedded Complex Oxide Micromagnets

The magnetic domains of embedded micromagnets with 2  μm×2  μm dimensions defined in epitaxial La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) thin films and LaFeO3/LSMO bilayers were investigated using soft x-ray magnetic microscopy. Square micromagnets aligned with their edges parallel to the easy axes of LSMO provide an ideal experimental geometry for probing the influence of interface exchange coupling on the magnetic domain patterns. The observation of unique domain patterns not reported for ferromagnetic metal microstructures, namely divergent antiferromagnetic vortex domains and "Z"-type domains, suggests the simultaneous presence of spin-flop coupling and local exchange bias in this system

Structural, Magnetic and Electronic Properties of (110)-Oriented Epitaxial Thin Films of Bilayer Manganite La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7

We have synthesized (110)-oriented epitaxial thin films of the bilayer (n=2) manganite, La{sub 1.2}Sr{sub 1.8}Mn{sub 2}O{sub 7}, with the metallic/ferromagnetic a-b planes lying perpendicular to the substrate surface and the c-axis aligned in the plane of the film. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirm the alignment of the a-b planes along the [1{bar 1}0] substrate direction. The films consist primarily of the n=2 phase with a minor component of the n=1 (La,Sr){sub 2}MnO{sub 4} and n={infinity} (La,Sr)MnO{sub 3} phases. A resistivity maximum coincides with a ferromagnet/paramagnet transition at a reduced T{sub c}{approx}90K (vs. 120K for bulk), indicative of the effects of epitaxial strain. The films display similar anisotropic properties to their bulk counterpart with the magnetically easy direction confined to the a-b planes and 20-200 times lower resistivity for current flowing along the a-b planes compared to the c-axis

Consequences of High Adatom Energy during Pulsed Laser Deposition of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃

The impact of the adatom energy on the stoichiometry, surface morphology, and crystalline twinning during pulsed laser deposition of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ is studied. We show that although nonthermal growth using highly energetic adatoms results in very smooth ultrathin films, it also causes preferential resputtering of Mn and a surface roughening transition with increasing film thickness. This can be circumvented by carefully tuning the adatom energy into thermal growth, resulting in more Mn rich samples and a delayed roughening transition. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the crystalline twinning can be controlled by controlling the adatom energy. Hence, a detailed control of the adatom energy during growth opens for better stoichiometry control as well as surface quality

Effects of array shape and disk ellipticity in dipolar-coupled magnetic metamaterials

Two-dimensional lattices of dipolar-coupled thin film ferromagnetic nanodisks give rise to emergent superferromagnetic (SFM) order when the spacing between dots becomes sufficiently small. In this paper, we define micron-sized arrays of permalloy nanodisks arranged on a hexagonal lattice. The arrays were shaped as hexagons, squares, and rectangles to investigate finite-size effects in the SFM domain structure for such arrays. The resulting domain patterns were examined using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron microscopy. At room temperature, we find these SFM metamaterials to be below their blocking temperature. Distinct differences were found in the magnetic switching characteristics of horizontally and vertically oriented rectangular arrays. The results are corroborated by micromagnetic simulations

Tailoring Spin Textures in Complex Oxide Micromagnets.

Engineered topological spin textures with submicron dimensions in magnetic materials have emerged in recent years as the building blocks for various spin-based memory devices. Examples of these magnetic configurations include magnetic skyrmions, vortices, and domain walls. Here, we show the ability to control and characterize the evolution of spin textures in complex oxide micromagnets as a function of temperature through the delicate balance of fundamental materials parameters, micromagnet geometries, and epitaxial strain. These results demonstrate that in order to fully describe the observed spin textures, it is necessary to account for the spatial variation of the magnetic parameters within the micromagnet. This study provides the framework to accurately characterize such structures, leading to efficient design of spin-based memory devices based on complex oxide thin films

Tailoring Spin Textures in Complex Oxide Micromagnets.

Engineered topological spin textures with submicron dimensions in magnetic materials have emerged in recent years as the building blocks for various spin-based memory devices. Examples of these magnetic configurations include magnetic skyrmions, vortices, and domain walls. Here, we show the ability to control and characterize the evolution of spin textures in complex oxide micromagnets as a function of temperature through the delicate balance of fundamental materials parameters, micromagnet geometries, and epitaxial strain. These results demonstrate that in order to fully describe the observed spin textures, it is necessary to account for the spatial variation of the magnetic parameters within the micromagnet. This study provides the framework to accurately characterize such structures, leading to efficient design of spin-based memory devices based on complex oxide thin films

Spin-flop coupling and exchange bias in embedded complex oxide micromagnets.

The magnetic domains of embedded micromagnets with 2  μm×2  μm dimensions defined in epitaxial La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) thin films and LaFeO3/LSMO bilayers were investigated using soft x-ray magnetic microscopy. Square micromagnets aligned with their edges parallel to the easy axes of LSMO provide an ideal experimental geometry for probing the influence of interface exchange coupling on the magnetic domain patterns. The observation of unique domain patterns not reported for ferromagnetic metal microstructures, namely divergent antiferromagnetic vortex domains and "Z"-type domains, suggests the simultaneous presence of spin-flop coupling and local exchange bias in this system