Structure and morphology of Cu/Ni film grown by electrodeposition method: A study of neutron reflectivity and AFM

We present detailed study of structure and interface morphology of an electrodeposited Cu/Ni film using X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity, neutron reflectivity and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The crystalline structure of the film has been determined by X-ray diffraction, which suggest polycrystalline growth of the film. The depth profile of density in the sample has been obtained from specular X-ray and neutron reflectivity measurements. AFM image of the air-film interface shows that the surface is covered by globular islands of different sizes. The AFM height distribution of the surface clearly shows two peaks and the relief structure (islands) on the surface in the film, which can be treated as a quasi-two-level random rough surface structure. We have demonstrated that the detailed morphology of air-film interfaces, the quasi-two-level surface structure as well as morphology of the buried interfaces can be obtained from off-specular neutron reflectivity data. AFM and off-specular neutron reflectivity measurements also show that the morphologies of electrodeposited surface is distinctively different as compared to that of sputter-deposited surfaces in the sample.     

Magnetization depth profile of (Fe/Dy) multilayers

An experimental and numerical study of the magnetization in (Fe 3 nm/Dy 2 nm) multilayers is presented. The samples were thermally evaporated under ultra-high vacuum at two different substrate temperatures, 320 and 570 K. In order to get the magnetization depth profile of these transition metal/rare earth (TM/RE) multilayers, a fine investigation of the structural, chemical, and magnetic properties was carried out. The samples were studied by X-ray reflectivity (XRR), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), conversion electron Mössbauer spectrometry (CEMS), SQUID magnetometry and polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR). Magnetization profiles were obtained by Monte Carlo simulations to support the PNR fits. The key role of the crystalline structure is emphasized by magnetic depth profile measurements performed using polarized neutron reflectometry. The antiparallel configuration of Fe and Dy layers’ magnetizations was evidenced, as well as the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), especially in the case of the sample prepared at 570 K.     

Polarized neutron reflectivity and X-ray scattering measurements as tools to study properties of Pt/Co/Pt ultrathin layers irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

ABSTRACT

We have used polarized neutron reflectivity, X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity and magneto-optical Kerr effect in polar configuration to study the properties of ultrathin Pt/Co/Pt films. Structures consisting of a 5-nm thick Pt buffer, 3-nm thick Co layer and 5-nm thick Pt cover layer were deposited onto (0001)-oriented Al₂O₃ substrate by the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method. Irreversible modifications of film properties, resulting from its illumination by single femtosecond laser pulses, of duration of 40 fs and wavelength of 800 nm, were observed and analyzed. As prepared films exhibited magnetization in-plane, but after laser irradiation, the direction of magnetization was rotated to out-of-plane state. Formation of Co–Pt alloy phase caused by quasi-uniform film irradiation was demonstrated by the results of X-ray and neutron scattering measurements. Moreover, polarized neutron and X-ray reflectivity data showed that after illumination Co was distributed mostly in the area of nominal Co layer and Pt cover layer and its diffusion into the Pt buffer was less significant.     

Hydrogen distribution in Nb/Ta superlattices

The distribution of hydrogen in Nb/Ta superlattices has been investigated by combined neutron reflectivity and x-ray scattering. We provide evidence to support that strain modulations determined with x-ray diffraction can be interpreted as modulations in hydrogen content. We show that the hydrogen concentration is modulated and favors Nb, in agreement with previous studies. We measure the concentration directly using neutron reflectivity and demonstrate no detectable change in the distribution of hydrogen with temperature, in stark contrast to previous studies.     

Upper limit to magnetism in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures

Using polarized neutron reflectometry we measured the neutron spin-dependent reflectivity from four LaAlO(3)/SrTiO(3) superlattices. Our results imply that the upper limit for the magnetization averaged over the lateral dimensions of the sample induced by an 11 T magnetic field at 1.7 K is less than 2 G. SQUID magnetometry of the neutron superlattice samples sporadically finds an enhanced moment, possibly due to experimental artifacts. These observations set important restrictions on theories which imply a strongly enhanced magnetism at the interface between LaAlO(3) and SrTiO(3).     

Structural and magnetic properties of BCC Fe/Co (0 0 1) superlattices

In thin layered Fe/Co (0 0 1), grown on MgO (0 0 1), both Fe and Co crystallize in the body-centered cubic (BCC) structure, as seen in a series of superlattices where the layer thickness of the components is varied from two to twelve atomic monolayers. These superlattices have novel magnetic properties as observed by magnetization and polarized neutron reflectivity measurements. There is a significant enhancement of the magnetic moments of both Fe and Co at the interfaces. Furthermore, the easy axis of the system changes from [1 0 0] for films of low cobalt content to [1 1 0] for a Co content exceeding 33%. No indication of a uniaxial anisotropy component is found in any of the samples. The first anisotropy constant (K₁) of BCC Co is found to be negative with an estimated magnitude of 110 kJ/m³ at 10 K. In all cases, the magnetic moments of Fe and Co have parallel alignment.     

As保护下的生长中断时间对AlSb/InAs超晶格界面粗糙度的影响

用分子束外延设备(MBE)在GaAs(100)衬底上生长了InSb型界面的AlSb/InAs超晶格，界面生长过程中采用了As保护下不同的中断时间.运用掠入射X射线反射技术(GIXRR)对样品进行了测量，并对测量结果进行了模拟和分析，发现As保护下生长中断20 s能获得最平整的AlSb/InAs界面.结合分析显微镜下观察到的样品形貌，过短的界面中断时间会导致界面富In并形成In点，而过长的中断时间会导致AlAs型界面的形成，两者都使界面变得粗糙.另外，还讨论了生长中断在分子束外延生长中的应用. 关键词： 分子束外延 生长中断 超晶格 掠入射X射线反射     

Depth-resolved magnetization distribution in ultra thin films by soft X-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity

The analysis of complex magnetic profiles throughout an ultrathin magnetic films by soft X-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity is discussed. Subnanometer resolution can be achieved allowing the separation of interface and inner layer magnetic contributions as well as the determination of antiferromagnetic and non-collinear spin structures. Reflectivity measurements are carried out up to large scattering angles allowing the determination of the depth-resolved profiles of the out-of-plane magnetic component.     

Magnetization reversal studies of continuous and patterned exchange biased NiFe/FeMn thin films

In this article we present a detailed investigation of the structural and magnetic properties of exchange biased NiFe (ferromagnet)/FeMn (antiferromagnet) thin films. The influence of the shape anisotropy on exchange bias and the magnetization reversal mechanism in a sample with patterned lines is compared with a continuous two-dimensional reference sample. Polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR) is employed to study the magnetization reversal by analyzing the spin-flip and non-spin-flip reflectivities. PNR measurements show that the magnetization reversal in the reference two-dimensional film and patterned lines is by domain wall motion rather than coherent rotation of magnetization.     

Spin-wave dispersion in ferromagnetic semiconductor superlattices and thin films in the narrow-band limit

Bulk and surface magnetic excitations of the semi-infinite ferromagnetic semiconductor (FMS) superlattices and thin films described by Heisenberg and s-d model are analyzed using the transfer matrix method, developed in our previous work. Results are discussed in the narrow-band limit. The spin-wave frequencies for the semi-infinite narrow-band semiconductors are analyzed in both low- and high-frequency regions. Energies of localized excitations are compared to the bulk and the results of Green function formalism. Depending on the parameters of the system, the surface spin waves appear as “acoustical” and “optical”, and there are only some quantitative difference in the high-frequency region, comparing our method and the Green function method. In the framework of the same methodology, bulk and surface magnetic excitations of more complicated superlattices and thin films made of the FMS superlattices are analyzed in terms of dependence of the system parameters. It is shown that the s-d interaction governs the behavior of the systems. Dependence on bulk and surface parameters is discussed.     

Self-organized semiconductor surfaces as templates for nanostructured magnetic thin films

Spontaneous pattern formation during epitaxial growth or ion erosion of semiconductor wafers offers an elegant route towards large-area nanostructured surfaces. In homoepitaxy, kinetics may result in rather uniform three-dimensional islands. In the case of semiconductor heteroepitaxy, strain relief leads to the formation of nanofaceted three-dimensional crystallites, which may self-organize into quasiperiodic arrays. By tuning substrate miscut and film thickness, or growing superlattices, a variety of patterns with different symmetries can be obtained, as will be summarized for the model system of SiGe on Si(001). Since these self-organized nanostructure arrays cover the entire wafer on which they are grown, they can serve as large-area nanopatterned substrates for subsequent deposition of magnetic thin films. It will be demonstrated that such templates allow the study of correlations between magnetic and chemical interfacial roughness, as well as the influence of pattern symmetry on the magnetic anisotropy of thin Co films. Furthermore, shadow deposition of magnetic material onto specially faceted nanostructure arrays allows the fabrication of nanomagnet arrays and the study of their magnetic properties. Received: 31 July 2002 / Accepted: 2 October 2002 / Published online: 5 February 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +43-3842/402-760, E-mail: teichert@unileoben.ac.at     

Roughness in manganite-based superlattices

In this work we present a structural analysis of La_0.75Sr_0.25MnO₃/LaNiO₃ (LSMO/LNO) superlattices, performed by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and X-ray reflectivity. The samples were deposited by dc magnetron sputtering on single-crystalline (0 0 1) oriented SrTiO₃. The strain relaxation and the roughness at the interfaces were estimated from the analysis of the X-ray patterns. The thickness of LSMO reference layers has been measured by means of low-angle X-ray reflectivity, finding a very good agreement with the nominal values.     

超薄Fe(4(A))膜磁特性极化中子反射研究

利用分子束外延薄膜生长技术,制备了200 (A)V/4 (A) Fe/900 V/MgO(100)薄膜样品,通过X射线反射和极化中子反射两种测量手段获得了薄膜的表面、界面及各层膜厚的相关结构信息.中子反射结果表明,Fe原子磁矩在室温下约为1.0±0.1μB,随着温度的降低,Fe原子磁矩增加,在10 K时达到1.5±0.1μB.利用指数定律拟合磁矩随温度的变化情况,外推得出4(A)铁薄膜样品的居里温度约为310±30 K.

Abstract：

Uhrathin Fe film 200 (A)V/4 (A)Fe/900 (A)V/MgO(100) has been prepared by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The structure parameters, such as the surface and interface roughness and the thickness of each layer, were obtained by X-ray and neutron reflectivity measurement. The magnetic properties of the thin Fe layer were investigated by polarized neutron reflectometry at different temperature. The result shows that the magnetic moment of an Fe atom is about 1.0 ± 0.1 μB at room temperature and increases to 1.5 ±0.1 μBat 10 K. The Curie temperature of the thin Fe film is estimated to be 310 ± 30 K.     

Brillouin light scattering from spin waves in magnetic layers and multilayers

We give an overview on our experimental and theoretical investigations of Brillouin light scattering in magnetic thin films, layered magnetic structures and superlattices. For epitaxial Fe(1 10) layers on W(1 10) the in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic surface anisotropy constants are determined, and the influence of Pd overlayers on the surface anisotropies is studied. For Fe/Pd superlattices a magnetic polarization of the Pd at the interfaces is established and the interface anisotropy constant is determined. For second order Fe/Pd superlattices, formed by alternating two Fe/Pd bilayers with different repeat periods, the Brillouin spectrum is obtained and compared to calculations. In the case of magnetic/nonmagnetic multilayered structures we investigate theoretically the crossing regime between dipolar and exchange-dominated modes. For small spacer-layer thicknesses, interlayer exchange coupling shifts the spin-wave frequencies of all but the highest-frequency dipolar mode into the exchange-mode regime. In case of all-magnetic multilayered structures, such as Fe/Ni multilayers, a new type of propagating collective excitations arising from coupled exchange modes is predicted.     

Experiments on the reflection of cold atoms from magnetic thin films

We report the results from a series of experiments in which ferromagnetic thin films were used as atom mirrors for laser-cooled rubidium atoms released from a magneto-optical trap. The thin films were made of cobalt and lanthanum calcium manganite (LCMO) with thicknesses between 20 and 300 nm. The magnetic domains in these thin films have a periodic structure where the spatial period is of the order of the thickness of the film, and the field decays exponentially above the film over a length scale comparable to the domain size. Thus, the neutral atoms reflect off these films from distances comparable to the thickness of the film, resulting in modification of the reflectivity due to the competition between the repulsive magnetic force and the attractive short-range forces such as van der Waals and Casimir forces. The smoothness of the atom mirror is also modified due to the proximity of the magnetic domains. The reflectivity is sensitive to the domain structure and size, which can be modified in LCMO by applying a modest external magnetic field. In this paper, we discuss the evaluation of the thin films as magnetic mirrors for atom optics, and the measurement of the van der Waals force with an accuracy of about 15%, using cobalt thin films. We also discuss some preliminary results on the temperature-dependent reflectivity for atoms near the ferromagnetic transition at 250 K in the LCMO film, and on the domain dynamics and relaxation.     

Magneto-transport properties of dilute granular ferromagnets

We present magnetoresistance (MR) measurements performed on quench-condensed granular Ni thin films which are on the verge of electric continuity. In these systems, the electric conductivity is believed to be governed by the resistance between a very small number of grains. The films exhibit sharp resistance jumps as a function of magnetic field. We interpret these findings as being the result of magneto-mechanical distortions that occur in single grains which act as bottlenecks in the dilute percolation network. The observed features provide a unique measure of magnetostriction effects in nano-grain structures as well as being able to shed light on some of the properties of regular granular magnetic films.     

Magnetization in permalloy thin films

Thin films of permalloy (Ni₈₀Fe₂₀) were prepared using an Ar+N₂ mixture with magnetron sputtering technique at ambient temperature. The film prepared with only Ar gas shows reflections corresponding to the permalloy phase in X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern. The addition of nitrogen during sputtering results in broadening of the peaks in XRD pattern, which finally leads to an amorphous phase. The M-H loop for the sample prepared with only Ar gas is matching well with the values obtained for the permalloy. For the samples prepared with increased nitrogen partial pressure the magnetic moment decreased rapidly and the values of coercivity increased. The polarized neutron reflectivity measurements (PNR) were performed in the sample prepared with only Ar gas and with nitrogen partial pressure of 5 and 10%. It was found that the spin-up and spin-down reflectivities show exactly similar reflectivity for the sample prepared with Ar gas alone, while PNR measurements on 5 and 10% sample show splitting in the spin-up and spin-down reflectivity.      

Structural and magnetic characterization of LaSrMnO3 thin films deposited by laser ablation on MgO substrates

La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO_3?δ thin films were deposited by laser ablation on MgO substrates under low oxygen pressure cool down. Their structural and magnetic properties are presented. The magnetic and electrical resistivity measurements indicate a reduction of the Curie and the metal–insulator transition temperatures due to the formation of magnetic inhomogeneneous films, where clusters of a metallic phase are mixed in a magnetically disordered insulating matrix. By a low-angle X-ray reflectivity study we show that the thin films are chemically inhomogeneous with an oxygen deficiency in bulk of the film when compared with the film/air interfacial region.     

Properties of Neutron Stars Rotating at Kepler Frequency with Uniform Strong Magnetic Field

A uniform strong magnetic field is considered in calculating the properties of neutron star rotating at the Kepler frequency. The results show that the effect of the magnetic field on the properties of neutron star is evident, and the properties of the neutron stars rotating at the Kepler frequency can be used as a criterion to the equations of states of the neutron star matters.