Wide range local resistance imaging on fragile materials by conducting probe atomic force microscopy in intermittent contact mode

International audienceAn imaging technique associating a slowly intermittent contact mode of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a home-made multi-purpose resistance sensing device is presented. It aims at extending the widespread resistance measurements classically operated in contact mode AFM to broaden their application fields to soft materials (molecular electronics, biology) and fragile or weakly anchored nano-objects, for which nanoscale electrical characterization is highly demanded and often proves to be a challenging task in contact mode. Compared with the state of the art concerning less aggressive solutions for AFM electrical imaging, our technique brings a significantly wider range of resistance measurement (over 10 decades) without any manual switching, which is a major advantage for the characterization of materials with large on-sample resistance variations. After describing the basics of the set-up, we report on preliminary investigations focused on academic samples of self-assembled monolayers with various thicknesses as a demonstrator of the imaging capabilities of our instrument, from qualitative and semi-quantitative viewpoints. Then two application examples are presented, regarding an organic photovoltaic thin film and an array of individual vertical carbon nanotubes. Both attest the relevance of the technique for the control and optimization of technological processe

High domain wall velocity at zero magnetic field induced by low current densities in spin-valve nanostripes

Current-induced magnetic domain wall motion at zero magnetic field is observed in the permalloy layer of a spin-valve-based nanostripe using photoemission electron microscopy. The domain wall movement is hampered by pinning sites, but in between them high domain wall velocities (exceeding 150 m/s) are obtained for current densities well below 10^{12} \unit{A/m^2}, suggesting that these trilayer systems are promising for applications in domain wall devices in case of well controlled pinning positions. Vertical spin currents in these structures provide a potential explanation for the increase in domain wall velocity at low current densities.Comment: Published version, Applied Physics Express 2, 023003 (2009) http://dx.doi.org/10.1143/APEX.2.02300

Unravelling the role of the interface for spin injection into organic semiconductors

Whereas spintronics brings the spin degree of freedom to electronic devices, molecular/organic electronics adds the opportunity to play with the chemical versatility. Here we show how, as a contender to commonly used inorganic materials, organic/molecular based spintronics devices can exhibit very large magnetoresistance and lead to tailored spin polarizations. We report on giant tunnel magnetoresistance of up to 300% in a (La,Sr)MnO3/Alq3/Co nanometer size magnetic tunnel junction. Moreover, we propose a spin dependent transport model giving a new understanding of spin injection into organic materials/molecules. Our findings bring a new insight on how one could tune spin injection by molecular engineering and paves the way to chemical tailoring of the properties of spintronics devices.Comment: Original version. Revised version to appear in Nature Physics

Influence of alkylphosphonic acid grafting on the electronic and magnetic properties of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 surfaces

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are highly promising materials for molecular engineering of electronic and spintronics devices thanks to their surface functionalization properties. In this direction, alkylphosphonic acids have been used to functionalize the most common ferromagnetic electrode in organic spintronics: La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO). However, a study on the influence of SAMs grafting on LSMO electronic and magnetic properties is still missing. In this letter, we probe the influence of alkylphosphonic acids-based SAMs on the electronic and magnetic properties of the LSMO surface using different spectroscopies. We observe by X-ray photoemission and X-ray absorption that the grafting of the molecules on the LSMO surface induces a reduction of the Mn oxidation state. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements also show that the LSMO work function can be modified by surface dipoles opening the door to both tune the charge and spin injection efficiencies in organic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes.The research leading to these results was financially supported by the EU project NMP3-SL-2011-263104 HINTS and ANR agency (MELAMIN 2011-NANO-021). S.T. acknowledges the European Union FP7 CIG Marie Curie Actions under project SAMSFERE (FP7/2012–321739) and the Spanish MICINN for his JdC contract. P.S. wishes to thank the Institut Universitaire de France for a junior Fellowship. The research leading to these results was partly funded by the SFB/TRR 88 ‘3MET’ from the DFG. Experiments were performed on the “DEIMOS” beamline at SOLEIL Synchrotron, France (project No. 20100960)

The low frequency receivers for SKA 1-low: Design and verification

The initial phase of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) [1] is represented by a ~10% instrument and construction should start in 2018. SKA 1-Low, a sparse Aperture Array (AA) covering the frequency range 50 to 350 MHz, will be part of this. This instrument will consist of 512 stations, each hosting 256 antennas creating a total of 131,072 antennas. A first verification system towards SKA 1-Low, Aperture Array Verification System 1 (AAVSl), is being deployed and validated in 2017

Spin polarized transport in semiconductor nanostructures

Jury : Mr Patrick Bruno (rapporteur);Mr Claude Chappert (président); Mr Joël Cibert (rapporteur); Mr Albert Fert (directeur de thèse); Mr Jean-Marie George; Mr Georges LampelIn the field of spin-electronic, the integration of magnetic materials in semiconductor heterostructures is promising for a new generation of electronic devices where two degrees of freedom will be associated: spin and charge of carriers. The outcome of this thesis is an electrical detection of spin injection into a GaAs quantum well. In order to do so, we have first studied thin films of the ferromagnetic semiconductor GaAs doped Mn and GaMnAs-based magnetic tunnel junctions. Magnetic and transport studies on GaMnAs thin films have shown that the magnetic and electronic properties are intimately connected. The spin polarization of carriers (40%) has been established from the magnetoresistance (MR) of the magnetic tunnel junction. Then we have elaborated heterostructures where two GaMnAs electrodes are separated by an AlAs/GaAs/AlAs quantum well. The first GaMnAs ferromagnetic electrode is used to polarize the carriers and the second to analyze the spin-polarized current injected in the quantum well. The MR, in these structures, is attributed to a sequential tunneling with a spin accumulation in the GaAs well. The high MR obtained (40%) is the signature of the spin conservation in the well. The spin lifetime is therefore longer than the tunneling time (time spent by the hole in the well). We have studied the influence of these two times on the MR. These studies have allowed us to establish required conditions to achieve an electrical detection of spins injected in a semiconductor quantum well. These all-electrical experiments have also allowed us to determine the spin lifetime of holes in a GaAs quantum well. Hole spin lifetime in these GaAs quantum well is longer than hundred picoseconds at 4.2K.Cette thèse s'inscrit dans la thématique de l'électronique de spin à base de semiconducteurs. L'intégration de matériaux magnétiques dans des structures semiconductrices représentent actuellement un axe de recherche en plein essor qui amènera probablement une nouvelle génération de composants électroniques où seront associés deux degrés de liberté : la charge et le spin des porteurs. La finalité de ce travail est la détection électrique d'une injection de spins dans un puits de GaAs. Pour cela nous avons préalablement étudié des couches minces du semiconducteur ferromagnétique GaAs substitué Mn et des jonctions tunnel magnétiques GaMnAs/AlAs/GaMnAs. L'étude des couches minces de GaMnAs a permis de mettre en évidence la corrélation entre les propriétés magnétiques et électroniques et les jonctions tunnel ont permis de quantifier la polarisation en spin des porteurs du GaMnAs. Nous avons ensuite élaboré des structures où deux électrodes de GaMnAs sont séparées par un puits quantique AlAs/GaAs/AlAs. La première électrode permet de polariser les porteurs et la seconde d'analyser le courant polarisé en spin injecté dans le puits. La magnétorésistance (MR) dans ces structures est attribuée à un transport tunnel séquentiel avec accumulation de spins dans le puits de GaAs. La forte MR obtenue (40%) est la signature de la conservation du spin dans le puits et traduit ainsi que le temps de vie du spin des trous est supérieur au temps de séjour des trous dans ce puits. Les études de la MR en fonction de ces deux temps caractéristiques ont permis d'établir les conditions nécessaires afin de détecter une injection de spins dans un puits quantique semiconducteur. Ces expériences entièrement électriques nous ont aussi permis d'estimer le temps de vie du spin des trous dans ces puits de GaAs à la centaine de picosecondes à 4.2K

Large reversible caloric effect in FeRh thin films via a dual-stimulus multicaloric cycle

International audienceGiant magnetocaloric materials are promising for solid-state refrigeration, as an alternative to hazardous gases used in conventional cooling devices. A giant magnetocaloric effect was discovered near room temperature in near-equiatomic FeRh alloys some years before the benchmark study in Gd 5 Si 2 Ge 2 that launched the field. However, FeRh has attracted significantly less interest in cooling applications mainly due to irreversibility in magnetocaloric cycles associated with the large hysteresis of its first-order metamagnetic phase transition. Here we overcome the irreversibility via a dual-stimulus magnetic-electric refrigeration cycle in FeRh thin films via coupling to a ferroelectric BaTiO 3 substrate. This experimental realization of a multicaloric cycle yields larger reversible caloric effects than either stimulus alone. While magnetic hysteretic losses appear to be reduced by 96% in dual-stimulus loops, we show that the losses are simply transferred into an elastic cycle, contrary to common belief. Nevertheless, we show that these losses do not necessarily prohibit integration of FeRh in practical refrigeration systems. Our demonstration of a multicaloric refrigeration cycle suggests numerous designs for efficient solid-state cooling applications

Hybrid Heterostructures of a Spin Crossover Coordination Polymer on MoS2: Elucidating the Role of the 2D Substrate

Controlling the deposition of spin-crossover (SCO) materials constitutes a crucial step for the integration of these bistable molecular systems in electronic devices. Moreover, the influence of functional surfaces, such as 2D materials, can be determinant on the properties of the deposited SCO film. In this work, ultrathin films of the SCO Hofmann-type coordination polymer [Fe(py)2{Pt(CN)4}] (py = pyridine) onto monolayers of 1T and 2H MoS2 polytypes are grown. The resulting hybrid heterostructures are characterized by GIXRD, XAS, XPS, and EXAFS to get information on the structure and the specific interactions generated at the interface, as well as on the spin transition. The use of a layer-by-layer results in SCO/2D heterostructures, with crystalline and well-oriented [Fe(py)2{Pt(CN)4}]. Unlike with conventional Au or SiO2 substrates, no intermediate self-assembled monolayer is required, thanks to the surface S atoms. Furthermore, it is observed that the higher presence of Fe3+ in the 2H heterostructures hinders an effective spin transition for [Fe(py)2{Pt(CN)4}] films thinner than 8 nm. Remarkably, when using 1T MoS2, this transition is preserved in films as thin as 4 nm, due to the reducing character of this metallic substrate. These results highlight the active role that 2D materials play as substrates in hybrid molecular/2D heterostructures