24 research outputs found
Structural and Magnetic Characteristics of MnAs Nanoclusters Embedded in Be-doped GaAs
We describe a systematic study of the synthesis, microstructure and
magnetization of hybrid ferromagnet-semiconductor nanomaterials comprised of
MnAs nanoclusters embedded in a p-doped GaAs matrix. These samples are created
during the in situ annealing of Be-doped (Ga,Mn)As heterostructures grown by
molecular beam epitaxy. Transmission electron microscopy and magnetometry
studies reveal two distinct classes of nanoclustered samples whose structural
and magnetic properties depend on the Mn content of the initial (Ga,Mn)As
layer. For Mn content in the range 5% - 7.5%, annealing creates a
superparamagnetic material with a uniform distribution of small clusters
(diameter around 6 nm) and with a low blocking temperature (T_B approximately
10 K). While transmission electron microscopy cannot definitively identify the
composition and crystalline phase of these small clusters, our experimental
data suggest that they may be comprised of either zinc-blende MnAs or Mn-rich
regions of (Ga,Mn)As. At higher Mn content (> 8 %), we find that annealing
results in an inhomogeneous distribution of both small clusters as well as much
larger NiAs-phase MnAs clusters (diameter around 25 nm). These samples also
exhibit supermagnetism, albeit with substantially larger magnetic moments and
coercive fields, and blocking temperatures well above room temperature
Measurements of Nanoscale Domain Wall Flexing in a Ferromagnetic Thin Film
We use the high spatial sensitivity of the anomalous Hall effect in the
ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs, combined with the magneto-optical Kerr
effect, to probe the nanoscale elastic flexing behavior of a single magnetic
domain wall in a ferromagnetic thin film. Our technique allows position
sensitive characterization of the pinning site density, which we estimate to be
around 10^14 cm^{-3}. Analysis of single site depinning events and their
temperature dependence yields estimates of pinning site forces (10 pN range) as
well as the thermal deactivation energy. Finally, our data hints at a much
higher intrinsic domain wall mobility for flexing than previously observed in
optically-probed micron scale measurements
Coherent Heteroepitaxy of Bi2Se3 on GaAs (111)B
We report the heteroepitaxy of single crystal thin films of Bi2Se3 on the
(111)B surface of GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy. We find that Bi2Se3 grows
highly c-axis oriented, with an atomically sharp interface with the GaAs
substrate. By optimizing the growth of a very thin GaAs buffer layer before
growing the Bi2Se3, we demonstrate the growth of thin films with atomically
flat terraces over hundreds of nanometers. Initial time-resolved Kerr rotation
measurements herald opportunities for probing coherent spin dynamics at the
interface between a candidate topological insulator and a large class of
GaAs-based heterostructures.Comment: To appear in Applied Physics Letter
Measurement and simulation of anisotropic magnetoresistance in single GaAs/MnAs core/shell nanowires
We report four probe measurements of the low field magnetoresistance in
single core/shell GaAs/MnAs nanowires synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy,
demonstrating clear signatures of anisotropic magnetoresistance that track the
field-dependent magnetization. A comparison with micromagnetic simulations
reveals that the principal characteristics of the magnetoresistance data can be
unambiguously attributed to the nanowire segments with a zinc blende GaAs core.
The direct correlation between magnetoresistance, magnetization and crystal
structure provides a powerful means of characterizing individual hybrid
ferromagnet/semiconductor nanostructures.Comment: Submitted to Applied Physics Letters; some typos corrected and a
defective figure replace
Interplay between ferromagnetism, surface states, and quantum corrections in a magnetically doped topological insulator
The breaking of time-reversal symmetry by ferromagnetism is predicted to
yield profound changes to the electronic surface states of a topological
insulator. Here, we report on a concerted set of structural, magnetic,
electrical and spectroscopic measurements of \MBS thin films wherein
photoemission and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism studies have recently shown
surface ferromagnetism in the temperature range 15 K K,
accompanied by a suppressed density of surface states at the Dirac point.
Secondary ion mass spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy reveal an
inhomogeneous distribution of Mn atoms, with a tendency to segregate towards
the sample surface. Magnetometry and anisotropic magnetoresistance measurements
are insensitive to the high temperature ferromagnetism seen in surface studies,
revealing instead a low temperature ferromagnetic phase at K.
The absence of both a magneto-optical Kerr effect and anomalous Hall effect
suggests that this low temperature ferromagnetism is unlikely to be a
homogeneous bulk phase but likely originates in nanoscale near-surface regions
of the bulk where magnetic atoms segregate during sample growth. Although the
samples are not ideal, with both bulk and surface contributions to electron
transport, we measure a magnetoconductance whose behavior is qualitatively
consistent with predictions that the opening of a gap in the Dirac spectrum
drives quantum corrections to the conductance in topological insulators from
the symplectic to the orthogonal class.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.