107 research outputs found
Anisotropic magneto-Coulomb effect versus spin accumulation in a ferromagnetic single-electron device
We investigate the magneto-transport characteristics of nanospintronics
single-electron devices. The devices consist of single non-magnetic
nano-objects (nanometer size nanoparticles of Al or Cu) connected to Co
ferromagnetic leads. The comparison with simulations allows us attribute the
observed magnetoresistance to either spin accumulation or anisotropic
magneto-Coulomb effect (AMC), two effects with very different origins. The fact
that the two effects are observed in similar samples demonstrates that a
careful analysis of Coulomb blockade and magnetoresistance behaviors is
necessary in order to discriminate them in magnetic single-electron devices. As
a tool for further studies, we propose a simple way to determine if spin
transport or AMC effect dominates from the Coulomb blockade I-V curves of the
spintronics device
Shear effects in lateral piezoresponse force microscopy at 180 ferroelectric domain walls
In studies using piezoresponse force microscopy, we observe a non-zero
lateral piezoresponse at 180 domain walls in out-of-plane polarized,
c-axis-oriented tetragonal ferroelectric Pb(ZrTi)O
epitaxial thin films. We attribute these observations to a shear strain effect
linked to the sign change of the piezoelectric coefficient through the
domain wall, in agreement with theoretical predictions. We show that in
monoclinically distorted tetragonal BiFeO films, this effect is
superimposed on the lateral piezoresponse due to actual in-plane polarization,
and has to be taken into account in order to correctly interpret the
ferroelectric domain configuration.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Spin injection in a single metallic nanoparticle: a step towards nanospintronics
We have fabricated nanometer sized magnetic tunnel junctions using a new
nanoindentation technique in order to study the transport properties of a
single metallic nanoparticle. Coulomb blockade effects show clear evidence for
single electron tunneling through a single 2.5 nm Au cluster. The observed
magnetoresistance is the signature of spin conservation during the transport
process through a non magnetic cluster.Comment: 3 page
Towards two-dimensional metallic behavior at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces
Using a low-temperature conductive-tip atomic force microscope in
cross-section geometry we have characterized the local transport properties of
the metallic electron gas that forms at the interface between LaAlO3 and
SrTiO3. At low temperature, we find that the carriers do not spread away from
the interface but are confined within ~10 nm, just like at room temperature.
Simulations taking into account both the large temperature and electric-field
dependence of the permittivity of SrTiO3 predict a confinement over a few nm
for sheet carrier densities larger than ~6 10^13 cm-2. We discuss the
experimental and simulations results in terms of a multi-band carrier system.
Remarkably, the Fermi wavelength estimated from Hall measurements is ~16 nm,
indicating that the electron gas in on the verge of two-dimensionality.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
Co-doped (La,Sr)TiO3-d: a high-Curie temperature diluted magnetic system with large spin-polarization
We report on tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) experiments that demonstrate
the existence of a significant spin polarization in Co-doped (La,Sr)TiO3-d
(Co-LSTO), a ferromagnetic diluted magnetic oxide system (DMOS) with high Curie
temperature. These TMR experiments have been performed on magnetic tunnel
junctions associating Co-LSTO and Co electrodes. Extensive structural analysis
of Co-LSTO combining high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Auger
electron spectroscopy excluded the presence of Co clusters in the Co-LSTO layer
and thus, the measured ferromagnetism and high spin polarization are intrinsic
properties of this DMOS. Our results argue for the DMOS approach with complex
oxide materials in spintronics
Full oxide heterostructure combining a high-Tc diluted ferromagnet with a high-mobility conductor
We report on the growth of heterostructures composed of layers of the
high-Curie temperature ferromagnet Co-doped (La,Sr)TiO3 (Co-LSTO) with
high-mobility SrTiO3 (STO) substrates processed at low oxygen pressure. While
perpendicular spin-dependent transport measurements in STO//Co-LSTO/LAO/Co
tunnel junctions demonstrate the existence of a large spin polarization in
Co-LSTO, planar magnetotransport experiments on STO//Co-LSTO samples evidence
electronic mobilities as high as 10000 cm2/Vs at T = 10 K. At high enough
applied fields and low enough temperatures (H < 60 kOe, T < 4 K) Shubnikov-de
Haas oscillations are also observed. We present an extensive analysis of these
quantum oscillations and relate them with the electronic properties of STO, for
which we find large scattering rates up to ~ 10 ps. Thus, this work opens up
the possibility to inject a spin-polarized current from a high-Curie
temperature diluted oxide into an isostructural system with high-mobility and a
large spin diffusion length.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev.
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