Fabrication and interface electrical properties of Fe₃O₄/MgO/GaAs(100) spin contacts

Moderately doped n-GaAs(100) substrates (n= 5 x 10 17cm3 ) with In Ohmic back contacts were annealed in the growth chamber with a base pressure of 1 x 10-8 mbar for 60 min at 830 K prior to the film stack growth. MgO layer was then grown by e-beam evaporation at a rate of 2 Amin-1 while the substrates were kept at 673 K, followed by postgrowth annealing of a 3.0 nm thick epitaxial Fe at 500 K in an O2 partial pressure of 5 x 10-5 mbar for 10 min. As for Fe3O4-GaAs(100), the tunneling barrier deposition was skipped. The epitaxial spin contacts were ex situ characterized by current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The junction size ranges from 25 to 200 μm square and were patterned by standard photolithography and wet etching using a 50 nm thick thermally evaporated Au layer as an etch mask

Scanning tunnelling miscroscopy/spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies of Co adatoms and anoislands on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

In this paper, the scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy of cobalt adatoms and nanoislands were studied on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Local electronic structure were observed by STS.\ud \u

Growth mechanism and interface magnetic properties of Co nanostructures on graphite

We investigated structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of Co adsorbed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). Distribution and atomic sites of 3d transition-metal Co nanoislands and adatoms on HOPG were experimentally investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy with atomic resolution. In the very low thickness regime (0.6 A° ), a strong nucleation mechanism and a preferred Co nanoisland diameter of ∼3.4 nm have been observed. Co adatoms were found to preferentially occupy β sites of the HOPG surface graphene layer and the atoms aggregated by further occupation of either α or overbond sites. This is in contrast to predictions based on density functional theory, which indicates that the hollow sites are the most energetically stable sites for Co adsorption. The presence of surface hydrocarbon contamination on graphite might be one possible cause of the observed active nucleation and stabilized nanoisland diameter of Co. The formation of Co carbide was evidenced by x-ray absorption spectroscopy. More importantly, the Co magnetic spin moment at the interface of Fe-capped ferromagnetic Co nanostructures and graphite, as determined by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and sum-rule analysis, was found to be only 63% of the bulk value, implying a magnetically defective spin contact for carbon spintronics applications

Highly ordered C₆₀ films on epitaxial Fe/MgO(001) surfaces for organic spintronics

Hybrid interfaces between ferromagnetic surfaces and carbon-based molecules play an important role in organic spintronics. The fabrication of devices with well defined interfaces remains challenging, however, hampering microscopic understanding of their operation mechanisms. We have studied the crystallinity and molecular ordering of C-60 films on epitaxial Fe/MgO(001) surfaces, using X-ray diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Both techniques confirm that fcc molecular C-60 films with a (111)-texture can be fabricated on epitaxial bcc-Fe(001) surfaces at elevated growth temperatures (100-130 degrees C). STM measurements show that C-60 monolayers deposited at 130 degrees C are highly ordered, exhibiting quasi-hexagonal arrangements on the Fe(001) surface oriented along the [100] and [010] directions. The mismatch between the surface lattice of the monolayer and the bulk fcc C-60 lattice prevents epitaxial overgrowth of multilayers. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Fabrication and magnetic properties of Fe/GaAs/Fe hybrid structures

In this contribution, experimental results on the fabrication and magnetic characterization of a novel type vertical Fe/GaAs(100)/Fe spin-valve (SV) spintronic device are presented. An array of techniques has been developed by combining use of ex-situ chemical and selective etching of GaAs/AlGaAs/n-GaAs epilayers and ultrahigh vacuum deposition of Fe by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The thinnest achievable GaAs membrane by these sequences can be as thin as 50 nm

Superparamagnetic behavior in Fe ultrathin films on GaN(0001)

In this paper, growth, structural and magnetic properties of ultrathin Fe grown on GaN(OOOl) by molecular beam epitaxy. The films and their surfaces were monitored by in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and a crystal thickness monitor. The magnetic properties of the samples were determined by a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Superparamagnetism (SPM) of the ultrathin Fe can be activated at the ambient temperature.the hysteresis loop of an as-deposited 5 ML Fe(llO) film on GaN(0001) taken at RT and reveals that the loop on one hand has an unsaturated magnetization and on the other hand possesses tiny but noticeable Mr and Hc. These two characteristics as a whole imply a coexistence of SPM and weak FM in the ultrathin film. In order to gain further insight into this mixed magnetic state, temperature dependence of the magnetization M(T) in the form of field cooling (FC) and zero field cooling (ZFC) curves of the 5 ML sample was measured by SQUID in a T range between 5 and 300 K

Magnetic anisotropies in epitaxial Fe3O4/GaAs(100) patterned structures

10.1063/1.4897963AIP Advances41010711

Spin-injection device prospects for half-metallic Fe3O4:Al0.1Ga0.9As interfaces

Electrical spin-injection across the Fe3O4:Al0.1Ga0.9As interface has been measured. We quantify this effect in an In0.2Ga0.8As:GaAs spin-light emitting diode optical device. The optical polarization signal is maintained from 4.2 up to 200 K without influence of the metal–insulator Verwey transition in the bulk of the Fe3O4 film. An incomplete oxidation at the interface may be detrimental for this device, as it has a similar spin-injection efficiency to that of Fe:Al0.1Ga0.9As. Ambient temperature operation of this device may be possible although the present polarization levels remain too low for practical spintronic applications. We demonstrate the first step in the integration of molecular beam epitaxy-grown magnetic oxides into III–V semiconductor devices

Selective self-assembly of 2,3-diaminophenazine molecules on MoSe2 mirror twin boundaries

10.1038/s41467-019-10801-0Nature Communications101284