Electrical transport and ferromagnetism in Ga1-xMnxAs synthesized by ion implantation and pulsed-laser melting

We present a detailed investigation of the magnetic and magnetotransport properties of thin films of ferromagnetic Ga1-xMnxAs synthesized using ion implantation and pulsed-laser melting (II-PLM). The field and temperature-dependent magnetization, magnetic anisotropy, temperature-dependent resistivity, magnetoresistance, and Hall effect of II-PLM Ga1-xMnxAs films have all of the characteristic signatures of the strong p-d interaction of holes and Mn ions observed in the dilute hole-mediated ferromagnetic phase. The ferromagnetic and electrical transport properties of II-PLM films correspond to the peak substitutional Mn concentration meaning that the non-uniform Mn depth distribution is unimportant in determining the film properties. Good quantitative agreement is found with films grown by low temperature molecular beam epitaxy (LT-MBE) and having the similar substitutional Mn_Ga composition. Additionally, we demonstrate that II-PLM Ga1-xMnxAs films are free from interstitial Mn_I because of the high temperature processing. At high Mn implantation doses the kinetics of solute redistribution during solidification alone determine the maximum resulting Mn_Ga concentration. Uniaxial anisotropy between in-plane [-110]and [110] directions is present in II-PLM Ga1-xMnxAs giving evidence for this being an intrinsic property of the carrier-mediated ferromagnetic phase

Probing the Role of the Barrier Layer in Magnetic Tunnel Junction Transport

Magnetic tunnel junctions with a ferrimagnetic barrier layer have been studied to understand the role of the barrier layer in the tunneling process - a factor that has been largely overlooked until recently. Epitaxial oxide junctions of highly spin polarized La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 and Fe3O4 electrodes with magnetic NiMn2O4 (NMO) insulating barrier layers provide a magnetic tunnel junction system in which we can probe the effect of the barrier by comparing junction behavior above and below the Curie temperature of the barrier layer. When the barrier is paramagnetic, the spin polarized transport is dominated by interface scattering and surface spin waves; however, when the barrier is ferrimagnetic, spin flip scattering due to spin waves within the NMO barrier dominates the transport.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Modified Magnetic Ground State in Nimn (2) O (4) Thin Films

The authors demonstrate the stabilization of a magnetic ground state in epitaxial NiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} (NMO) thin films not observed in their bulk counterpart. Bulk NMO exhibits a magnetic transition from a paramagnetic phase to a collinear ferrimagnetic moment configuration below 110 K and to a canted moment configuration below 70 K. By contrast, as-grown NMO films exhibit a single magnetic transition at 60 K and annealed films exhibit the magnetic behavior found in bulk. Cation inversion and epitaxial strain are ruled out as possible causes for the new magnetic ground state in the as-grown films. However, a decrease in the octahedral Mn{sup 4+}:Mn{sup 3+} concentration is observed and likely disrupts the double exchange that produces the magnetic state at intermediate temperatures. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and bulk magnetometry indicate a canted ferrimagnetic state in all samples at low T. Together these results suggest that the collinear ferrimagnetic state observed in bulk NMO at intermediate temperatures is suppressed in the as grown NMO thin films due to a decrease in octahedral Mn{sup 4+}, while the canted moment ferrimagnetic ordering is preserved below 60 K

Room temperature magnetic barrier layers in magnetic tunnel junctions

We investigate the spin transport and interfacial magnetism of magnetic tunnel junctions with highly spin polarized LSMO and Fe3O4 electrodes and a ferrimagnetic NiFe2O4 (NFO) barrier layer. The spin dependent transport can be understood in terms of magnon-assisted spin dependent tunneling where the magnons are excited in the barrier layer itself. The NFO/Fe3O4 interface displays strong magnetic coupling, while the LSMO/NFO interface exhibits clear decoupling as determined by a combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. This decoupling allows for distinct parallel and antiparallel electrode states in this all-magnetic trilayer. The spin transport of these devices, dominated by the NFO barrier layer magnetism, leads to a symmetric bias dependence of the junction magnetoresistance at all temperatures

Interfacial-Redox-Induced Tuning of Superconductivity in YBa2Cu3O7-δ.

Solid-state ionic approaches for modifying ion distributions in getter/oxide heterostructures offer exciting potentials to control material properties. Here, we report a simple, scalable approach allowing for manipulation of the superconducting transition in optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) films via a chemically driven ionic migration mechanism. Using a thin Gd capping layer of up to 20 nm deposited onto 100 nm thick epitaxial YBCO films, oxygen is found to leach from deep within the YBCO. Progressive reduction of the superconducting transition is observed, with complete suppression possible for a sufficiently thick Gd layer. These effects arise from the combined impact of redox-driven electron doping and modification of the YBCO microstructure due to oxygen migration and depletion. This work demonstrates an effective step toward total ionic tuning of superconductivity in oxides, an interface-induced effect that goes well into the quasi-bulk regime, opening-up possibilities for electric field manipulation

Ionic Tuning of Cobaltites at the Nanoscale

Control of materials through custom design of ionic distributions represents a powerful new approach to develop future technologies ranging from spintronic logic and memory devices to energy storage. Perovskites have shown particular promise for ionic devices due to their high ion mobility and sensitivity to chemical stoichiometry. In this work, we demonstrate a solid-state approach to control of ionic distributions in (La,Sr)CoO$_{3}$ thin films. Depositing a Gd capping layer on the perovskite film, oxygen is controllably extracted from the structure, up-to 0.5 O/u.c. throughout the entire 36 nm thickness. Commensurate with the oxygen extraction, the Co valence state and saturation magnetization show a smooth continuous variation. In contrast, magnetoresistance measurements show no-change in the magnetic anisotropy and a rapid increase in the resistivity over the same range of oxygen stoichiometry. These results suggest significant phase separation, with metallic ferromagnetic regions and oxygen-deficient, insulating, non-ferromagnetic regions, forming percolated networks. Indeed, X-ray diffraction identifies oxygen-vacancy ordering, including transformation to a brownmillerite crystal structure. The unexpected transformation to the brownmillerite phase at ambient temperature is further confirmed by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy which shows significant structural - and correspondingly chemical - phase separation. This work demonstrates room-temperature ionic control of magnetism, electrical resistivity, and crystalline structure in a 36 nm thick film, presenting new opportunities for ionic devices that leverage multiple material functionalities

Meteorite evidence for partial differentiation and protracted accretion of planetesimals.

Modern meteorite classification schemes assume that no single planetary body could be source of both unmelted (chondritic) and melted (achondritic) meteorites. This dichotomy is a natural outcome of formation models assuming that planetesimal accretion occurred nearly instantaneously. However, it has recently been proposed that the accretion of many planetesimals lasted over ≳1 million years (Ma). This could have resulted in partially differentiated internal structures, with individual bodies containing iron cores, achondritic silicate mantles, and chondritic crusts. This proposal can be tested by searching for a meteorite group containing evidence for these three layers. We combine synchrotron paleomagnetic analyses with thermal, impact, and collisional evolution models to show that the parent body of the enigmatic IIE iron meteorites was such a partially differentiated planetesimal. This implies that some chondrites and achondrites simultaneously coexisted on the same planetesimal, indicating that accretion was protracted and that apparently undifferentiated asteroids may contain melted interiors

Magnetism of NiMn2O4-Fe3O4 spinel interfaces

We investigate the magnetic properties of the isostructural spinel-spinel interface of NiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}(NMO)-Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}. Although the magnetic transition temperature of the NMO film is preserved, both bulk and interface sensitive measurements demonstrate that the interface exhibits strong interfacial magnetic coupling up to room temperature. While NMO thin films have a ferrimagnetic transition temperature of 60 K, both NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and MnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} are ferrimagnetic at room temperature. Our experimental results suggest that these magnetic properties arise from a thin interdiffused region of (Fe,Mn,Ni){sub 3}O{sub 4} at the interface, leading to Mn and Ni magnetic properties similar to those of MnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}