65 research outputs found
Tunnel magnetoresistance in alumina, magnesia and composite tunnel barrier magnetic tunnel junctions
Using magnetron sputtering, we have prepared Co-Fe-B/tunnel barrier/Co-Fe-B
magnetic tunnel junctions with tunnel barriers consisting of alumina, magnesia,
and magnesia-alumina bilayer systems. The highest tunnel magnetoresistance
ratios we found were 73% for alumina and 323% for magnesia-based tunnel
junctions. Additionally, tunnel junctions with a unified layer stack were
prepared for the three different barriers. In these systems, the tunnel
magnetoresistance ratios at optimum annealing temperatures were found to be 65%
for alumina, 173% for magnesia, and 78% for the composite tunnel barriers. The
similar tunnel magnetoresistance ratios of the tunnel junctions containing
alumina provide evidence that coherent tunneling is suppressed by the alumina
layer in the composite tunnel barrier.Comment: 3 pages,4 figures, 1 tabl
Temperature and bias voltage dependence of Co/Pd multilayer-based magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy
Temperature- and bias voltage-dependent transport measurements of magnetic
tunnel junctions (MTJs) with perpendicularly magnetized Co/Pd electrodes are
presented. Magnetization measurements of the Co/Pd multilayers are performed to
characterize the electrodes. The effects of the Co layer thickness in the Co/Pd
bilayers, the annealing temperature, the Co thickness at the MgO barrier
interface, and the number of bilayers on the tunneling magneto resistance (TMR)
effect are investigated. TMR-ratios of about 11 % at room temperature and 18.5
% at 13 K are measured and two well-defined switching fields are observed. The
results are compared to measurements of MTJs with Co-Fe-B electrodes and
in-plane anisotropy
Insights into ultrafast demagnetization in pseudo-gap half metals
Interest in femtosecond demagnetization experiments was sparked by Bigot's
discovery in 1995. These experiments unveil the elementary mechanisms coupling
the electrons' temperature to their spin order. Even though first quantitative
models describing ultrafast demagnetization have just been published within the
past year, new calculations also suggest alternative mechanisms.
Simultaneously, the application of fast demagnetization experiments has been
demonstrated to provide key insight into technologically important systems such
as high spin polarization metals, and consequently there is broad interest in
further understanding the physics of these phenomena. To gain new and relevant
insights, we perform ultrafast optical pump-probe experiments to characterize
the demagnetization processes of highly spin-polarized magnetic thin films on a
femtosecond time scale. Previous studies have suggested shifting the Fermi
energy into the center of the gap by tuning the number of electrons and thereby
to study its influence on spin-flip processes. Here we show that choosing
isoelectronic Heusler compounds (Co2MnSi, Co2MnGe and Co2FeAl) allows us to
vary the degree of spin polarization between 60% and 86%. We explain this
behavior by considering the robustness of the gap against structural disorder.
Moreover, we observe that Co-Fe-based pseudo gap materials, such as partially
ordered Co-Fe-Ge alloys and also the well-known Co-Fe-B alloys, can reach
similar values of the spin polarization. By using the unique features of these
metals we vary the number of possible spin-flip channels, which allows us to
pinpoint and control the half metals electronic structure and its influence
onto the elementary mechanisms of ultrafast demagnetization.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, plus Supplementary Informatio
Making the invisible visible: improved electrospray ion formation of metalloporphyrins/-phthalocyanines by attachment of the formate anion (HCOO-)
A protocol is developed for the coordination of the formate anion (HCOO-) to neutral metalloporphyrins (Pors) and -phthalocyanines (Pcs) containing divalent metals as a means to improve their ion formation in electrospray ionization (ESI). This method is particularly useful when the oxidation of the neutral metallomacrocycle fails. While focusing on Zn(II)Pors and Zn(II)Pcs, we show that formate is also readily attached to Mn(II), Mg(II) and Co(II)Pcs. However, for the Co(II)Pc secondary reactions can be observed. Upon collision-induced dissociation (CID), Zn(II)Por/Pc·formate supramolecular complexes can undergo the loss of CO2 in combination with transfer of a hydride anion (H-) to the zinc metal center. Further dissociation leads to electron transfer and hydrogen atom loss, generating a route to the radical anion of the Zn(II)Por/Pc without the need for electrochemical reduction, although the Zn(II)Por/Pc may have a too low electron affinity to allow electron transfer directly from the formate anion. In addition to single Por molecules, multi Por arrays were successfully analyzed by this method. In this case, multiple addition of formate occurs, giving rise to multiply charged species. In these multi Por arrays, complexation of the formate anion occurs by two surrounding Por units (sandwich). Therefore, the maximum attainment of formate anions in these arrays corresponds to the number of such sandwich complexes rather than the number of porphyrin moieties. The same bonding motif leads to dimers of the composition [(Zn(II)Por/Pc)2·HCOO]-. In these, the formate anion can act as a structural probe, allowing the distinction of isomeric ions with the formate bridging two macrocycles or being attached to a dimer of directly connected macrocycles.Financial support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)-SFB 953 “Synthetic Carbon Allotropes”, the MINECO, Spain (CTQ-2014-52869-P) and the Comunidad de Madrid (S2013/MIT-2841 FOTOCARBON, T.T.) is acknowledged
Direct imaging of the structural change generated by dielectric breakdown in MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions
MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions are prepared to investigate the
dielectric breakdown of the tunnel barrier. The breakdown is directly
visualized by transmission electron microscopy measurements. The broken tunnel
junctions are prepared for the microscopy measurements by focussed ion beam out
of the junctions characterized by transport investigations. Consequently, a
direct comparison of transport behavior and structure of the intact and broken
junctions is obtained. Compared to earlier findings in Alumina based junctions,
the MgO barrier shows much more microscopic pinholes after breakdown. This can
be explained within a simple model assuming a relationship between the current
density at the breakdown and the rate of pinhole formation
Highly strained, radially π-conjugated porphyrinylene nanohoops
Small π-conjugated nanohoops are difficult to prepare, but offer an excellent platform for studying the interplay between strain and optoelectronic properties, and, increasingly, these shape-persistent macrocycles find uses in host-guest chemistry and self-assembly. We report the synthesis of a new family of radially π-conjugated porphyrinylene/phenylene nanohoops. The strain energy in the smallest nanohoop [2]CPT is approximately 54 kcal mol⁻¹, which results in a narrowed HOMO-LUMO gap and a red shift in the visible part of the absorption spectrum. Because of its high degree of preorganization and a diameter of ca. 13 Å, [2]CPT was found to accommodate C₆₀ with a binding affinity exceeding 10⁸ M⁻¹ despite the fullerene not fully entering the cavity of the host (X-ray crystallography). Moreover, the ?-extended nanohoops [2]CPTN, [3]CPTN, and [3]CPTA (N for 1,4-naphthyl; A for 9,10-anthracenyl) have been prepared using the same strategy, and [2]CPTN has been shown to bind C₇₀ 5 times more strongly than [2]CPT. Our failed synthesis of [2]CPTA highlights a limitation of the experimental approach most commonly used to prepare strained nanohoops, because in this particular case the sum of aromatization energies no longer outweighs the buildup of ring strain in the final reaction step (DFT calculations). These results indicate that forcing ring strain onto organic semiconductors is a viable strategy to fundamentally influence both optoelectronic and supramolecular properties
Drawing a different picture with pencil lead as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization matrix for fullerene derivatives
Inspired by reports on the use of pencil lead as a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization matrix, paving the way towards matrix-free matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, the present investigation evaluates its usage with organic fullerene derivatives. Currently, this class of compounds is best analysed using the electron transfer matrix trans-2-[3-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-2-methyl-2-propenylidene] malononitrile (DCTB), which was employed as the standard here. The suitability of pencil lead was additionally compared to direct (i.e. no matrix) laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry. The use of (DCTB) was identified as the by far gentler method, producing spectra with abundant molecular ion signals and much reduced fragmentation. Analytically, pencil lead was found to be ineffective as a matrix, however, appears to be an extremely easy and inexpensive method for producing sodium and potassium adducts
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