A First-Principles Investigation of the Structural and Magnetic Stability of Fe/GaAs(001)

The electronic properties of the interface of Fe/GaAs(001) have been investigated by using first-principles and molecular-dynamics techniques. While the ground state is ferromagnetic for all structures considered, a ferrimagnetic spin structure is found to be very close in energy (<1 meV). The observed lowering of the magnetic moments when relaxing the atomic positions is believed to be connected to this close in energy lying metamagnetic state. On the other hand, the magnetic moments of the Fe atoms at the interface are large, which can be explained by the bulk-like behavior of the density ot states of interface atoms.     

Onset of ferromagnetism in ultrathin Fe films on semiconductors

Very thin Fe films have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Ge(001), GaAs(001) and ZnSe(001) substrates, under identical preparation conditions. The electronic and magnetic properties of such interfaces have been studied, as a function of the Fe thickness, by means of spin resolved inverse photoemission. From the spin dependence of Fe empty states, we observe the onset of room temperature ferromagnetism to occur at a Fe thickness as low as three monolayers (ML) for Fe/Ge, while 5 and 8 ML have been found for Fe/GaAs and Fe/ZnSe, respectively.     

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of ultrathin FeCo alloy films on Pd(0 0 1) surface: First principles study

Using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method, thickness dependent magnetic anisotropy of ultrathin FeCo alloy films in the range of 1 monolayer (ML) to 5 ML coverage on Pd(0 0 1) surface has been explored. We have found that the FeCo alloy films have close to half metallic state and well-known surface enhancement in thin film magnetism is observed in Fe atom, whereas the Co has rather stable magnetic moment. However, the largest magnetic moment in Fe and Co is found at 1 ML thickness. Interestingly, it has been observed that the interface magnetic moments of Fe and Co are almost the same as those of surface elements. The similar trend exists in orbital magnetic moment. This indicates that the strong hybridization between interface FeCo alloy and Pd gives rise to the large magnetic moment. Theoretically calculated magnetic anisotropy shows that the 1 ML FeCo alloy has in-plane magnetization, but the spin reorientation transition (SRT) from in-plane to perpendicular magnetization is observed above 2 ML thickness with huge magnetic anisotropy energy. The maximum magnetic anisotropy energy for perpendicular magnetization is as large as 0.3 meV/atom at 3 ML film thickness with saturation magnetization of . Besides, the calculated X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) has been presented.     

Spin and orbital magnetic moments of free nanoparticles

The determination of spin and orbital magnetic moments from the free atom to the bulk phase is an intriguing challenge for nanoscience, in particular, since most magnetic recording materials are based on nanostructures. We present temperature-dependent x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements of free Co clusters (N=8-22) from which the intrinsic spin and orbital magnetic moments of noninteracting magnetic nanoparticles have been deduced. An exceptionally strong enhancement of the orbital moment is verified for free magnetic clusters which is 4-6 times larger than the bulk value. Our temperature-dependent measurements reveal that the spin orientation along the external magnetic field is nearly saturated at ~20 K and 7 T, while the orbital orientation is clearly not.     

Reversal of spin polarization in Fe/GaAs (001) driven by resonant surface states: first-principles calculations

A minority-spin resonant state at the Fe/GaAs(001) interface is predicted to reverse the spin polarization with the voltage bias of electrons transmitted across this interface. Using a Green's function approach within the local spin-density approximation, we calculate the spin-dependent current in a Fe/GaAs/Cu tunnel junction as a function of the applied bias voltage. We find a change in sign of the spin polarization of tunneling electrons with bias voltage due to the interface minority-spin resonance. This result explains recent experimental data on spin injection in Fe/GaAs contacts and on tunneling magnetoresistance in Fe/GaAs/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions.     

CEMS-study of the interface in Fe/Cr multilayer systems

The magnetic hyperfine (hf.) fields at the Fe/Cr interface were analyzed in epitaxial Fe/Cr thin film structures of (100)- and (110)-orientation with monolayer resolution by means of in-situ⁵⁷Fe Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy (CEMS). The hf. field (300 K) in the 1st Fe-monolayer (ML) at the interface has been found to be strongly reduced to 22.0/20.9 T for (110)-/(100)-orientation, whereas the 2nd and 3rd ML reveal a slightly increased hf. field of 33.7 T as compared with the Fe-bulk value of 33.4 T. The temperature dependence of the hf. field at the interface shows aT ^3/2 spin wave law. The spin wave parameters are enlarged with respect to the bulk value indicating a reduced exchange interaction. A discontinuity in theT ^3/2-dependence is interpreted by the onset of magnetic order (Néel-temperature) of the Cr layers adjoining the⁵⁷Fe probe layer.     

Application of M?ssbauer spectroscopy in magnetism

An overview is provided on our recent work that applies ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectroscopy to specific problems in nanomagnetism. ⁵⁷Fe conversion electron M?ssbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) in conjunction with the ⁵⁷Fe probe layer technique as well as ⁵⁷Fe nuclear resonant scattering (NRS) were employed for the study of various nanoscale layered systems: (i) metastable fct-Fe; a strongly enhanced hyperfine magnetic field B_hf of ～39?T at 25?K was observed in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) on uncoated three-monolayers thick epitaxial face-centered tetragonal (fct) ⁵⁷Fe(110) ultrathin films grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) on vicinal Pd(110) substrates; this indicates the presence of enhanced Fe local moments, μ_Fe, as predicted theoretically; (ii) Fe spin structure; by applying magnetic fields, the Fe spin structure during magnetization reversal in layered (Sm–Co)/Fe exchange spring magnets and in exchange-biased Fe/MnF₂ bilayers was proven to be non-collinear and depth-dependent; (iii) ferromagnet/semiconductor interfaces for electrical spin injection; CEMS was used as a diagnostic tool for the investigation of magnetism at the buried interface of Fe electrical contacts on the clean surface of GaAs(001) and GaAs(001)-based spin light-emitting diodes (spin LED) with in-plane or out-of-plane Fe spin orientation; the measured rather large average hyperfine field of ～27?T at 295?K and the distribution of hyperfine magnetic fields, P(B_hf), provide evidence for the absence of magnetically “dead” layers and the existence of relatively large Fe moments (μ_Fe ～ 1.8?μ_B) at the ferromagnet/semiconductor interface. - Finally, a short outlook is given for potential applications of M?ssbauer spectroscopy on topical subjects of nanomagnetism/spintronics.     

On the origin of the giant magnetic moments of Fe and Co in Cs Films

To unravel the mystery of the recently observed giant magnetic moments of Fe and Co in Cs films, orbital-polarization corrected relativistic spin density functional calculations have been performed. Unlike other transition–metal systems where the orbital magnetic moments are quenched, Fe and Co in Cs as well as in other alkali metals are found to possess a giant orbital moment of 2–3 μ_B along with a large spin moment. Also, these free atom-like spin and orbital magnetic moments in Cs would not be squashed under large lattice contractions up to 23% around the impurity atoms. The induced moments on the host atoms are small. The results offer an explanation for the origin of the giant magnetic moments of Fe and Co in Cs films.     

Spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe3O4

We present measurements of the spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe3O4 by using SQUID and magnetic circular dichroism in soft x-ray absorption. The measurements show that Fe3O4 has a noninteger spin moment, in contrast to its predicted half-metallic feature. Fe3O4 also exhibits a large unquenched orbital moment. Calculations using the local density approximation including the Hubbard U method and the configuration interaction cluster-model suggest that strong correlations and spin-orbit interaction of the 3d electrons result in the noninteger spin and large orbital moments of Fe3O4.     

Large orbital moments and internal magnetic fields in lithium nitridoferrate(I)

The iron nitridometalates Li2[(Li(1-x)Fe(I)(x))N] display ferromagnetic ordering and spin freezing. Large magnetic moments up to 5.0mu(B)/Fe are found in the magnetization. In M?ssbauer effect studies huge hyperfine magnetic fields up to 696 kOe are observed at specific Fe sites. These extraordinary fields and moments originate in an unusual ligand field splitting for those Fe species leading [within local spin density approximation (LSDA)] to a localized orbitally degenerate doublet. Including spin-orbit interaction and strong intra-atomic electron correlation (LDA+SO+U) gives rise to a large orbital momentum.     

Reactivity and magnetism of Fe/InAs(100) interfaces

Interface reaction and magnetism of epitaxially-grown Fe on InAs(100) are studied by core-level photoemission (As 3d and In 4d) and Fe 2p X-ray magnetic circular dichroism using synchrotron radiation. The reactivity of Fe/InAs(100) is relatively low compared to that of other interfaces involving deposition of 3d metals on III-V semiconductors. As a consequence, we observe a magnetic signal at Fe L_{2, 3} edges for the lowest thicknesses studied (1 ML). The atomic magnetic moment reaches a value close to that of the bulk α-Fe (2.2 μ _B) for Fe coverages exceeding 5 ML. A ferromagnetic compound with approximate stoichiometry of FeAs is formed at the interface. The orbital magnetism represents between 12 and 20% of the total momentum, due to 3d density of states depletion and to crystal-field modification of the electronic levels. These properties make the Fe/InAs(100) interface very promising for spin-tunneling devices. Received 4 April 2002 / Received in final form 13 May 2002 Published online 31 July 2002     

Spin coupling and orbital angular momentum quenching in free iron clusters

Magnetic spin and orbital moments of size-selected free iron cluster ions Fe{n}{+} (n=3-20) have been determined via x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy. Iron atoms within the clusters exhibit ferromagnetic coupling except for Fe{13}{+}, where the central atom is coupled antiferromagnetically to the atoms in the surrounding shell. Even in very small clusters, the orbital magnetic moment is strongly quenched and reduced to 5%-25% of its atomic value while the spin magnetic moment remains at 60%-90%. This demonstrates that the formation of bonds quenches orbital angular momenta in homonuclear iron clusters already for coordination numbers much smaller than those of the bulk.     

Coexistence of Magnetism and Conductivity in Bis(ethylenediseleno) Tetrathiafulvalene (BEST) with Octahedral Anions Hexacyanoferrate (III)and Nitroprusside

Using an accurate density-function method, we explore the coexistence of the magnetism and conductivity in bis(ethylenediselena)-tetrathiafulvalene (BEST) with the paramagnetic hexacyanoferrate(III) [Fe(CN)₆]^3- or the photochromic nitroprusside anion [Fe(CN)₅NO]^2-. The total and partial densities of states, and the atomic spin magnetic moments are calculated and discussed. It is found that the up- and down-spin total densities of states (DOS) are continuous in the vicinity of the Fermi level, there is overlap between the HOMO and LUMO in the up-spin subbands and the down-spin subbands, which reveals that these types of compounds have conductive properties. From the total and partial densities of states and atomic spin magnetic moments, it is shown that the spin magnetic moments of (BEST)₄[Fe(CN)₆] is mainly assembled at the iron atom and the cyanogen radical, and the spontaneous magnetic moments for (BEST)₂[Fe(CN)₅NO] come from iron atom, cyanogen and nitric oxide radical. To our best knowledge, it is the first theoretical study on the coexistence of the magnetism and conductivity of these compounds.     

Theoretical study of the magnetic moments and anisotropy energy of CoRh nanoparticles

The role of size, structure and chemical order on the magnetic moments and magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of CoRh nanoparticles are studied in the framework of a self-consistent real-space tight-binding method. Our results show that a Rh core in a geometry having a large surface/volume ratio and with Co–Rh mixing at the interface is the most likely chemical arrangement. A local analysis reveals that the orbital and spin moments at the Co–Rh interface are largely responsible for the increase of the magnetic moments and magnetic anisotropy. Moreover, the local moments induced at the Rh atoms, which amount to about 20% of the moment per Co atom [ μ_Rh = (0.2–0.3) μ_B] and the orbital moments of Co atoms play a crucial role on the interpretation of experiment. The results are discussed in the context of the interplay between chemical order and magnetic properties.     

Ab initio study of the electronic and magnetic properties of Sr(2-x)La(x)Fe(1+y/2)Mo(1-y/2)O6 double perovskites

Using the first-principles full potential linearized augmented plane wave method, the electronic structure of Sr(2-x)La(x)Fe(1+y/2)Mo(1-y/2)O6 (SLFMO) double-perovskite systems is investigated for x = 1/2 and 1 and for y = +1 and -1. Substituting Sr atoms by La atoms allows one to tune the electrons added into the minority spin band and enhances the half-metal feature--according to the rigid band shift model--even if the magnetization decreases with increasing La concentration. By taking into account the chemical disorder on the Fe and Mo sites, resulting from the introduction of La as shown experimentally, it is shown (i) that a supplemental magnetization reduction occurs because the magnetic moment on the Fe antisite is opposite to the one on the Fe regular sites and (ii) that the half-metal feature is preserved in SLFMO for x = 1/2 and 1 contrary to the case for SFMO. Finally, because surface or interface Fe deficiency should have a more limited impact on the spin polarization than for SFMO, SLFMO/SrTiO3 multilayers are investigated in order to confirm this prediction by determining the spin polarization at the interface, which is found to remain high.     

Nd(Fe,Si)11Cx化合物的全电子计算(x=0,2)

采用基于第一原理的全势能线性缀加平面波加局域轨道((L)APW lo)方法对Nd(Fe,Si)11Cx化合物(x=0,2)的电子结构进行了计算,得到了化合物态密度和磁矩等信息.计算结果表明NdFe9Si2化合物中Si原子主要与4b和32i位Fe原子产生杂化,导致Fe原子磁矩减小.NdFe9Si2C2化合物C原子使32i位Fe原子磁矩进一步降低,同时减弱了Si原子的影响,使得4b位Fe原子磁矩增大.     

Origin of the giant magnetic moments of Fe impurities on and in Cs films

We have explored the origin of the observed giant magnetic moments ( approximately 7&mgr;(B)) of Fe impurities on the surface and in the bulk of Cs films, using the relativistic local-spin-density-approximation method. We have found that Fe impurities in Cs behave differently from those in noble metals or in Pd. Whereas the induced spin polarization of Cs atoms is negligible, the Fe ion itself is a source of the giant magnetic moment. The 3d electrons of Fe in Cs are localized as the 4f electrons in rare-earth ions so that the orbital magnetic moment becomes as large as the spin magnetic moment. The calculated total magnetic moment M = 6.43&mgr;(B) is close to the experimentally observed value.     

Field dependence of spin and orbital moments of Fe in L10 FePt magnetic thin films

The field dependence of spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe in L1₀ FePt magnetic thin films was investigated using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The spin and orbital moments were calculated using the sum rules; it was found that the spin and orbital moment of Fe in L1₀ FePt films are ∼2.5 and 0.2 μ_B, respectively. The relative XMCD asymmetry at Fe L₃ peak on the dependence of applied field suggested that the majority magnetic moment of L1₀ FePt films resulted from Fe.     

Spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of rare-earth overlayers on rare-earth and d-metal substrates

Spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy was applied for studies of electronic and magnetic structures of Eu/Gd and Ce/Fe. Ferromagnetic coupling of 4f moments of Eu and Gd was found in the 1 ML Eu/Gd(0 0 0 1) system with high net Eu magnetization at low temperatures reflected by a spin polarization of 15% of the Eu 4f state. In case of the 1 ML Ce/Fe(1 1 0) system the antiparallel orientation of the Ce 4f spins with respect to the magnetization direction of the Fe substrate was observed. Very different shapes of the spin-up and spin-down Ce 4f spectral weights can be explained within periodic Anderson model by spin-dependent hybridization between Ce localized 4f and itinerant valence band states.     

Magnetism of mass-filtered nanoparticles on ferromagnetic supports

The magnetic properties of 3d-metal clusters significantly differ from bulk behavior and, for small clusters, strongly depend on the number of atoms within each cluster. Such phenomena are caused by a narrowing of electronic states and the high ratio of surface to volume atoms giving rise to enhanced magnetic orbital moments. However, even large Fe nanoparticles (6–12 nm) deposited onto ferromagnetic surfaces show enhanced orbital moments. At a low coverage large iron clusters on a cobalt film exhibit a nearly doubled value for the orbital moments when compared to bulk behaviour. With increasing coverage, the orbital moment is clearly reduced. Additionally, the spin and orbital moments of iron and cobalt in Fe₅₀Co₅₀ alloy clusters with a size of 7.5 nm on a nickel substrate have been investigated. FeCo alloys are known to exhibit very high magnetic moments for soft magnetic materials. PACS 73.22.-f; 75.75.+a; 81.07.-b