358 research outputs found
ZnO:Co Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor or Hybrid Nanostructure for Spintronics?
We have studied the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic defects in the
magnetic and electrical transport properties of Co-doped ZnO thin films. X ray
absorption measurements show that Co substitute Zn in the ZnO structure and it
is in the 2+ oxidation state. Magnetization (M) measurements show that doped
samples are mainly paramagnetic. From M vs. H loops measured at 5 K we found
that the values of the orbital L and spin S numbers are between 1 and 1.3 for L
and S = 3/2, in agreement with the representative values for isolated Co 2+.
The obtained negative values of the Curie-Weiss temperatures indicate the
existence of antiferromagnetic interactions between transition metal atoms.Comment: To be published in Journal of Materials Scienc
Electrically-driven phase transition in magnetite nanostructures
Magnetite (FeO), an archetypal transition metal oxide, has been
used for thousands of years, from lodestones in primitive compasses[1] to a
candidate material for magnetoelectronic devices.[2] In 1939 Verwey[3] found
that bulk magnetite undergoes a transition at T 120 K from a
high temperature "bad metal" conducting phase to a low-temperature insulating
phase. He suggested[4] that high temperature conduction is via the fluctuating
and correlated valences of the octahedral iron atoms, and that the transition
is the onset of charge ordering upon cooling. The Verwey transition mechanism
and the question of charge ordering remain highly controversial.[5-11] Here we
show that magnetite nanocrystals and single-crystal thin films exhibit an
electrically driven phase transition below the Verwey temperature. The
signature of this transition is the onset of sharp conductance switching in
high electric fields, hysteretic in voltage. We demonstrate that this
transition is not due to local heating, but instead is due to the breakdown of
the correlated insulating state when driven out of equilibrium by electrical
bias. We anticipate that further studies of this newly observed transition and
its low-temperature conducting phase will shed light on how charge ordering and
vibrational degrees of freedom determine the ground state of this important
compound.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure
A spin triplet supercurrent through the half-metallic ferromagnet CrO2
In general, conventional superconductivity should not occur in a ferromagnet,
though it has been seen in iron under pressure. Moreover, theory predicts that
the current is always carried by pairs of electrons in a spin singlet state, so
conventional superconductivity decays very rapidly when in contact with a
ferromagnet, which normally prohibits the existence of singlet pairs. It has
been predicted that this rapid spatial decay would not occur when spin triplet
superconductivity could be induced in the ferromagnet. Here we report a
Josephson supercurrent through the strong ferromagnet CrO2, from which we infer
that it is a spin triplet supercurrent. Our experimental setup is different
from those envisaged in the earlier predictions, but we conclude that the
underlying physical explanation for our result is a conversion from spin
singlet to spin triplets at the interface. The supercurrent can be switched
with the direction of the magnetization, analogous to spin valve transistors,
and therefore could enable magnetization-controlled Josephson junctions.Comment: 14 pages, including 3 figure
Ferromagnetism in semiconductors and oxides: prospects from a ten years' perspective
Over the last decade the search for compounds combining the resources of
semiconductors and ferromagnets has evolved into an important field of
materials science. This endeavour has been fuelled by continual demonstrations
of remarkable low-temperature functionalities found for ferromagnetic
structures of (Ga,Mn)As, p-(Cd,Mn)Te, and related compounds as well as by ample
observations of ferromagnetic signatures at high temperatures in a number of
non-metallic systems. In this paper, recent experimental and theoretical
developments are reviewed emphasising that, from the one hand, they disentangle
many controversies and puzzles accumulated over the last decade and, on the
other, offer new research prospects.Comment: review, 13 pages, 8 figures, 109 reference
Room-temperature ferromagnetism in graphite driven by 2D networks of point defects
Ferromagnetism in carbon-based materials is appealing for both applications
and fundamental science purposes because carbon is a light and bio-compatible
material that contains only s and p electrons in contrast to traditional
ferromagnets based on 3d or 4f electrons. Here we demonstrate direct evidence
for ferromagnetic order locally at defect structures in highly oriented
pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) with magnetic force microscopy and in bulk
magnetization measurements at room temperature. Magnetic impurities have been
excluded as the origin of the magnetic signal after careful analysis supporting
an intrinsic magnetic behavior of carbon. The observed ferromagnetism has been
attributed to originate from unpaired electron spins localized at grain
boundaries of HOPG. Grain boundaries form two-dimensional arrays of point
defects, where their spacing depends on the mutual orientation of two grains.
Depending on the distance between these point defects, scanning tunneling
spectroscopy of grain boundaries showed two intense split localized states for
small distances between defects (< 4 nm) and one localized state at the Fermi
level for large distances between defects (> 4 nm).Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure
Vacancy-Mediated Magnetism in Pure Copper Oxide Nanoparticles
Room temperature ferromagnetism (RTF) is observed in pure copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles which were prepared by precipitation method with the post-annealing in air without any ferromagnetic dopant. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) result indicates that the mixture valence states of Cu1+ and Cu2+ ions exist at the surface of the particles. Vacuum annealing enhances the ferromagnetism (FM) of CuO nanoparticles, while oxygen atmosphere annealing reduces it. The origin of FM is suggested to the oxygen vacancies at the surface/or interface of the particles. Such a ferromagnet without the presence of any transition metal could be a very good option for a class of spintronics
Ferromagnetic Semiconductors: Moving Beyond (Ga,Mn)As
The recent development of MBE techniques for growth of III-V ferromagnetic
semiconductors has created materials with exceptional promise in spintronics,
i.e. electronics that exploit carrier spin polarization. Among the most
carefully studied of these materials is (Ga,Mn)As, in which meticulous
optimization of growth techniques has led to reproducible materials properties
and ferromagnetic transition temperatures well above 150 K. We review progress
in the understanding of this particular material and efforts to address
ferromagnetic semiconductors as a class. We then discuss proposals for how
these materials might find applications in spintronics. Finally, we propose
criteria that can be used to judge the potential utility of newly discovered
ferromagnetic semiconductors, and we suggest guidelines that may be helpful in
shaping the search for the ideal material.Comment: 37 pages, 4 figure
Antiferromagnetic spintronics
Antiferromagnetic materials are magnetic inside, however, the direction of
their ordered microscopic moments alternates between individual atomic sites.
The resulting zero net magnetic moment makes magnetism in antiferromagnets
invisible on the outside. It also implies that if information was stored in
antiferromagnetic moments it would be insensitive to disturbing external
magnetic fields, and the antiferromagnetic element would not affect
magnetically its neighbors no matter how densely the elements were arranged in
a device. The intrinsic high frequencies of antiferromagnetic dynamics
represent another property that makes antiferromagnets distinct from
ferromagnets. The outstanding question is how to efficiently manipulate and
detect the magnetic state of an antiferromagnet. In this article we give an
overview of recent works addressing this question. We also review studies
looking at merits of antiferromagnetic spintronics from a more general
perspective of spin-ransport, magnetization dynamics, and materials research,
and give a brief outlook of future research and applications of
antiferromagnetic spintronics.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure
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