Ferromagnetic/III-V semiconductor heterostructures and magneto-electronic devices

The interface magnetic and electronic properties of two Fe/III-V semiconductor systems, namely Fe/GaAs and Fe/InAs, grown at room temperature have been studied. A "magnetic interface", which is essential for the fabrication of magneto-electronic (ME) devices, was realized in both Fe/GaAs and Fe/InAs systems with suitable substrate processing and growth conditions. Furthermore, Fe/InAs was shown to have favorable interface electronic properties as Fe forms a low resistance ohmic contact on InAs. Two prototypes of ME device based on Fe/InAs are also discussed

Effects of interdot dipole coupling in mesoscopic epitaxial Fe(100) dot arrays

The domain structure and the coercivity of epitaxial Fe(100) circular dot arrays of different diameters and separations have been studied using magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and focused magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). The MFM images of the 1 µm diameter single domain dot arrays show direct evidence of strong interdot dipole coupling when the separation is reduced down to 0.1 µm. The coercivity of the dots is also found to be dependent on the separation, indicating the effect of the interdot dipole coupling on the magnetization reversal process

Genome-wide association study of developmental dysplasia of the hip identifies an association with GDF5

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is the most common skeletal developmental disease. However, its genetic architecture is poorly understood. We conduct the largest DDH genome-wide association study to date and replicate our findings in independent cohorts. We find the heritable component of DDH attributable to common genetic variants to be 55% and distributed equally across the autosomal and X-chromosomes. We identify replicating evidence for association between GDF5 promoter variation and DDH (rs143384, effect allele A, odds ratio 1.44, 95% confidence interval 1.34–1.56, P = 3.55 × 10−22). Gene-based analysis implicates GDF5 (P = 9.24 × 10−12), UQCC1 (P = 1.86 × 10−10), MMP24 (P = 3.18 × 10−9), RETSAT (P = 3.70 × 10−8) and PDRG1 (P = 1.06 × 10−7) in DDH susceptibility. We find shared genetic architecture between DDH and hip osteoarthritis, but no predictive power of osteoarthritis polygenic risk score on DDH status, underscoring the complex nature of the two traits. We report a scalable, time-efficient recruitment strategy and establish for the first time to our knowledge a robust DDH genetic association locus at GDF5

The genetic epidemiology of joint shape and the development of osteoarthritis

Congruent, low-friction relative movement between the articulating elements of a synovial joint is an essential pre-requisite for sustained, efficient, function. Where disorders of joint formation or maintenance exist, mechanical overloading and osteoarthritis (OA) follow. The heritable component of OA accounts for ~ 50% of susceptible risk. Although almost 100 genetic risk loci for OA have now been identified, and the epidemiological relationship between joint development, joint shape and osteoarthritis is well established, we still have only a limited understanding of the contribution that genetic variation makes to joint shape and how this modulates OA risk. In this article, a brief overview of synovial joint development and its genetic regulation is followed by a review of current knowledge on the genetic epidemiology of established joint shape disorders and common shape variation. A summary of current genetic epidemiology of OA is also given, together with current evidence on the genetic overlap between shape variation and OA. Finally, the established genetic risk loci for both joint shape and osteoarthritis are discussed

Anisotropic lattice relaxation and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in Fe/InAs(100)-4×2

The magnetic anisotropy and the lattice relaxation of epitaxial Fe films grown on InAs(100)-4×2 at room temperature have been studied using in situ magneto-optical Kerr effect and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The experimental results demonstrate that the symmetry breaking associated with the intrinsic atomic scale structure of the reconstructed semiconductor surface induces an in-plane anisotropic lattice relaxation and an in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the ultrathin region. We propose that this is a general phenomenon in ferromagnetic/semiconductor heterostructures. © 2000 The American Physical Society

Uniaxial magnetic anisotropy of epitaxial Fe films on InAs(100)-4×2 and GaAs(100)-4×2

The evolution of the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy of ultrathin epitaxial Fe films grown on InAs(100)-4×2 and GaAs(100)-4×2 has been studied in situ by means of the magneto-optical Kerr effect. In Fe/InAs(100)-4×2, the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy easy axis direction along [011] was found to be rotated 90° compared with that of Fe/GaAs(100)-4×2 along [01]. Real-time reflection high energy electron diffraction measurements of Fe/InAs(100)-4×2 show that the lattice constant of the epitaxial Fe films relaxes remarkedly faster along the [01] direction than along the [011] direction in the same thickness range where the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy occurs. These results suggest that the symmetry-breaking atomic scale structure of the reconstructed semiconductor surface gives rise to the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in a ferromagnetic metal/semiconductor heterostructure via surface magneto-elastic interactions. © 2000 American Institute of Physics

Suppression of 90° spin switching in Co nanomagnets grown on the Cu(110)-{2×1}O surface

We report on the effect of oxygen on the CO-induced 90° spin switching in the Co/Cu(110) system [Hope et al., Phys. Rev. B 57, 7454 (1998)]. The epitaxial fcc Co films were grown on the unsaturated Cu(110)-{2×1}O surface and their magnetic properties have been studied with in situ magneto-optic Kerr effect. The easy axis switch of the Co(110) films is suppressed when Co is grown on O exposed Cu surfaces. Scanning tunneling microscopy images of the film surface reveals the growth of elongated nanostructures preferentially oriented along the [001] direction, providing step-like edges for gas adsorption. The density of steps is similar to the density developing during growth on the clean Cu(110) surface but the step edges now run in the perpendicular direction. The suppression of the easy axis switch can be attributed to subtle changes of the number and adsorption probability of the available atop adsorption sites along the step edges for CO chemisorption. Our experiments highlight the remarkable chemical sensitivity and adsorption site dependence of the easy axis switch of the Co(110) nanomagnets. © 2001 American Institute of Physics