Exchange bias in nanopatterned Co antidots prepared by self-assembling polystyrene nanospheres

The exchange bias properties of nanopatterned thin films of Co, on top of which a native Co-oxide layer develops spontaneously, are studied by means of magnetic and magneto-resistance measurements. Both continuous and patterned films are investigated, the latter in the form of antidot arrays prepared with the self-assembling polystyrene nanospheres technique. The obtained antidot arrays are in the hexagonal close-packed configuration and cover a surface area of several square millimetres. Nanopatterned samples turn out to have a very good repeatability of their magnetic and magneto-resistive properties. The presence of a native oxide is responsible for the development of an exchange bias effect at temperatures below ~150 K, which has been reported both on hysteresis loops and on magneto-resistance curves; these consist of a superposition of an anisotropic magneto resistance (AMR) effect and a giant magneto-resistance (GMR)-like effect. The determination of the bias field by means of the two different sets of data is consistent and gives a complete picture of the phenomenology in this kind of nanopatterned magnetic systems.     

Exchange coupling of bilayers and synthetic antiferromagnets pinned to MnPt

Exchange bias and blocking temperature were studied in MnPt based bottom-pinned bilayers and synthetic antiferromagnets (SAF) prepared by magnetron sputtering. The structure and magnetic properties were determined as a function of the MnPt layer thickness. Exchange coupling was found to be (Jex = 0.4 erg/cm2) for a MnPt (t ≤20 nm)/CoFe (5 nm) bilayer. The distribution of the blocking temperature TB was analyzed and its width ΔTB and center point TB,center determined. TB is about 280 ○C for thinner MnPt films, and increases to 330 °C for thick films. ΔT B is constant for thick MnPt but steadily increases as the thickness decreases. SAF structures show higher exchange bias and higher TB,center at thin layer thickness (tMnPt = 8.5 nm) compared to bilayers.     

Thickness dependent phase transformation of magnetron-sputtered Ni–Mn–Sn ferromagnetic shape memory alloy thin films

In this study, the influence of film thickness on the first-order martensite–austenite phase transformation of Ni–Mn–Sn ferromagnetic shape memory alloy thin films has been systematically investigated. Different thicknesses of the Ni–Mn–Sn films (from ~100 to 2,500 nm) were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on Si (100) substrates at 550 °C. X-ray analysis reveals that all the films exhibit austenitic phase with the L2₁ cubic crystal structure at room temperature. The grain size and crystallization extent increase with the increase in film thickness, but the films with thickness above ~1,400 nm show structural deterioration due to the formation of MnSn₂ and Ni₃Sn₄ precipitates. The improvement in the crystallinity of the film with thickness is attributed to the decrease in film–substrate interfacial strain resulting in preferred oriented growth of the films. Temperature-dependent magnetization measurements as well as electrical measurements demonstrate the complete absence of phase transformation for the film of thickness of ~120 nm. For thickness greater than 400 nm, film exhibits the structural transformation, and it occurs at higher temperature with better hysteresis as film thickness is increased up to ~1,400 nm, after which degradation of phase transformation phenomenon is observed. This degradation is attributed to the disorders present in the films at higher thicknesses. Film with thickness ~1,400 nm possesses the highest magnetization with the smallest thermal hysteresis among all the films and therefore best suited for the actuators based on first-order structural phase transformation. Nanoindentation measurements reveal that the higher values of hardness and elastic modulus of about 5.5 and 215.0 GPa obtained in film of 1,014 nm thickness can considerably improve the ductility of ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMA) and their applicability for MEMS applications. The exchange bias phenomenon is also found to be present in the films of thickness 1014, 1412, and 2022 nm exhibiting prominent martensitic transformation. Film of thickness 2,022 nm exhibits maximum exchange bias of ~50 Oe and higher exchange bias blocking temperature of 70 K as compared to other films.     

Exchange bias in FeNi/FeMn/Gd–Co trilayers: The role of the magnetic prehistory

FeNi/FeMn/Gd_xCo_100-x multilayered films were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The Gd–Co layer had different temperature dependences of the spontaneous magnetization due to the different Gd content. The magnetic properties of the films were determined from hysteresis loops measured in the temperature range 5–473 K. In order to determine the existence of a long-range interaction and a mutual influence of two exchange bias systems through the formation of bulk continuous magnetic structure in the antiferromagnetic layer special cooling procedure with FeNi and Gd–Co magnetizations saturated in a direction parallel or antiparallel to each other was used. The observed difference in the exchange bias between the two cooling configurations was discussed.     

Microstructural and magnetic properties of passivated Co nanoparticle films

Co nanoparticle films were prepared by plasma–gas-condensation-type particle beam deposition system. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images show that the Co nanoparticles have a very narrow size distribution with an average diameter of 20 nm, and each of the Co nanoparticles is covered with an 3 nm layer of CoO. Hysteresis loops of the films after field-cooling in a 5 T magnetic field are greatly shifted, which can be attributed to the exchange bias effect caused by the interfacial exchange coupling between the CoO shell and the Co core. The zero field cooled films show several prominent properties, such as a quite large coercive field, a small remanence and their abnormal dependences on temperature. All these observations can be attributed to the existence of an exchange bias effect within each single Co nanoparticle even without a field-cooling process.     

Influence of temperature on thermal relaxation of exchange bias field in CoFe/Cu/CoFe/IrMn spin valve

A multilayered spin valve film with a structure of Ta(5 nm)/Co_(75)Fe_(25)(5 nm)/Cu(2.5 nm)/Co_(75)Fe_(25)(5 nm)/Ir_(20)Mn_(80)(12 nm)/Ta(8 nm) is prepared by the high-vacuum direct current(DC) magnetron sputtering. The effect of temperature on the spin valve structure and the magnetic properties are studied by x-ray diffraction(XRD), atomic force microscopy(AFM), and vibrating sample magnetometry. The effect of temperature on the exchange bias field thermomagnetic properties of multilayered spin valve is studied by the residence time of samples in a reverse saturation field. The results show that as the temperature increases, the Ir Mn(111) texture weakens, surface/interface roughness increases, and the exchange bias field decreases. Below 200℃, the exchange bias field decreases with the residence time increasing, and at the beginning of the negative saturation field, the exchange bias field Hex decreases first quickly and then slowly gradually. When the temperature is greater than 200℃, the exchange bias field is unchanged with the residence time increasing.     

Dependence of substrate temperature of Zn0.8Co0.2O films deposited by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering

We have investigated the microstructure, electrical and magnetic properties of the ZnCoO thin films, which were prepared by the asymmetrical bipolar-pulsed DC magnetron sputtering as a function of substrate temperature. The structural properties of ZnCoO films were characterized with a high resolution XRD. The XRD patterns of the ZnCoO films showed a strong (0 0 2) preferential orientation. The average crystallite size was 23–35 nm, which was estimated from full width at half maximum of XRD results. The electrical resistivity of the films were measured by the van der Pauw method through Hall measurement and showed below 10⁻¹ Ω cm above 300 °C. The magnetic properties of the ZnCoO films were analyzed by the alternating gradient magnetometer at room temperature. All of the films were exhibited the ferromagnetic nature. The high conductivity and room temperature ferromagnetism of the ZnCoO films above 300 °C suggested that the possibility for the application to diluted magnetic semiconductors.     

The study of magnetic properties and microstructures of nano-size FePt islands on amorphous carbon film

This work focuses on the formation mechanisms of nano-island FePt film on commercial copper grids covered with an amorphous carbon film. FePt films of different thickness (1-7.5 nm) were deposited on amorphous carbon film and then post-annealed at 700 °C for 30 min. The configuration of the film was changed during the annealing process due to the surface energy difference between the amorphous carbon films and FePt alloy. We have prepared nanometer-size island-shaped FePt films on the amorphous carbon films and investigated their magnetic properties and microstructures. A discontinuous nano-size island magnetic film can reduce the exchange coupling of the media and increase the recording density.     

Interaction effects in magnetic oxide nanoparticle systems

The interaction effects in magnetic nanoparticle system were studied through a Monte Carlo simulation. The results of simulations were compared with two different magnetic systems, namely, iron oxide polymer nanocomposites prepared by polymerization over core and nanocrystalline cobalt ferrite thin films prepared by sol-gel process. The size of the particles in the nanocomposites were estimated to be ∼15 nm with very little agglomeration. The low values of the coercivity obtained from the hysteresis measurements performed confirm that the system is superparamagnetic. SEM studies showed the cobalt ferrite films to have a nanocrystalline character, with particle sizes in the nanometer range. Hysteresis measurements performed on the thin films coated on silicon do not give evidence of the superparamagnetic transition up to room temperature and the coercivity is found to increase with decreasing film thickness. Comparison with simulations indicate that the nanocomposites behave like a strongly interacting array where exchange interactions lead to high blocking temperatures, whereas the films are representative of a semi-infinite array of magnetic clusters with weak interactions and thickness-dependent magnetic properties.     

Exchange bias tuned by cooling field in La0.2Ca0.8MnO3 nanoparticles

We report the magnetic properties in the nanosized charge ordering manganite La_0.2Ca_0.8MnO₃ with an average particle size ～50 nm. The sample exhibits ferromagnetism at low temperatures. The exchange bias phenomenon is observed when the sample is cooled down in an external magnetic field. Moreover, the exchange bias field is dependent on the cooling field and shows a maximum of ～520 Oe under a cooling field ～5 kOe. The exchange bias effect can be attributed to the exchange coupling between the ferromagnetic shell and antiferromagnetic core. The decrease of exchange bias field in high cooling field can be attributed to the growth of ferromagnetic component under high cooling field.     

Effect of Co layer thickness on structural and magnetic properties of C/Co/C films

Granular C/Co/C films have been prepared by magnetron sputtering from C and Co onto glass substrates at room temperature and subsequent in situ annealing. It has been found that the structure and magnetic properties of the C/Co/C films depend strongly on the Co layer thickness. Vibrating sample magnetometer measurements indicate that the in-plane coercivities reach maximum in 20 nm Co thickness of both as-deposited and annealed films. The squareness ratio of annealed films was more than 0.8. X-ray diffraction shows that majority Co nanograins are formed as the hexagonal-close-packed (HCP) structure in 20 nm Co thickness with annealing at 400 °C. Scanning probe microscope was used to scan surface morphology and magnetic domain structures. The values of the surface roughness were lower than 0.6 nm in all annealed samples. The average magnetic cluster size was estimated to be about 10 nm in annealed 20 nm Co thickness films.     

Exchange bias and negative magnetoresistance in [Co/Bi/Co]/IrMn thin films]

The artificial control of grain-boundary resistance and its contribution to magnetic and magneto-transport properties in [Co(3 nm)/Bi(2.5 nm)/Co(3 nm)]Ir₂₀Mn₈₀(12 nm) thin films that exhibit exchange bias is studied. Transverse magnetoresistance (MR) loops exhibit a negative MR in thin films grown by magnetron sputtering on Si/SiN_x(100 nm) substrates. This negative MR effect is of the giant-MR (GMR) type, although its magnitude is less than 1%. A considerable exchange bias (EB) effect is observed only at lower temperatures, where both, GMR and isothermal magnetization loops exhibit a shift of −600 Oe at 5 K.     

Ferromagnetic behavior of high-purity ZnO nanoparticles

ZnO nanoparticles with the wurtzite structure were prepared by chemical methods at low temperature in aqueous solution. The size of the nanoparticles is in the range from about 10 to 30 nm. Ferromagnetic properties were observed from 2 K to room temperature and above. Magnetization versus temperature, M(T), and isothermal M(H) measurements were obtained. The coercive field clearly shows ferromagnetism above room temperature. An exchange bias was observed, and we related this behavior to the core-shell structure present in the samples. The chemical synthesis, structure, and defects in the bulk related to oxygen vacancies are the main factors for the observed magnetic behavior.     

Effect of annealing on the magnetic properties of Cu-capped ultrathin Co films

We report the effect of intermixing of Cu on the magnetic properties of ultrathin Co films deposited on Si(1 0 0). Rutherford backscattering was employed to determine the extent of intermixing, which increased from 7% in an as-grown sample to nearly 23% when annealed at 400 °C. The as-grown sample showed a higher value of magnetization of 530 emu/cm³, which dropped to 20 emu/cm³ on annealing at 400 °C. The low temperature magnetization behavior of the as-grown Co films showed the presence of both positive and negative exchange bias due to the formation of antiferromagentic domains in parallel with ferromagnetic domains. This behavior is explained using the Malozemoff Random Field Model, which predicted values of exchange bias closely matching the present experimental findings.     

Oxygen on Fe(1 1 0): magnetic properties of the adsorbate system

Investigations concerning the electronic and magnetic properties of oxygen adsorbed on magnetized iron films were carried out by means of angle and spin resolving photoelectron spectroscopy. Iron(1 1 0), epitaxially grown on a W(1 1 0) crystal, served as the ferromagnetic substrate. Exchange splittings of the O 2p_x derived level were detected demonstrating a magnetic coupling between the chemisorbate and the iron layer. This observation indicates the presence of an induced magnetic moment within the adsorbate overlayer. Variations of the exchange splitting occurred as a function of the oxygen coverage, energy of the exciting radiation, and detection angle of the emitted photoelectrons pointing to a k₆-dependent exchange splitting. High oxygen exposures lead to a FeO overlayer at the surface, showing vanishing peak separations due to the antiferromagnetic behavior of iron oxide.     

Enhanced exchange bias in magnetron-sputtered Ni–Mn–Sb–Al ferromagnetic shape memory alloy thin films

In the present study, the influence of aluminium (Al) addition on the martensite-austenite phase transformation and exchange bias of Ni–Mn–Sb films have been investigated. Ni–Mn–Sb–Al films with different Al concentration (∼0–5.6%) were deposited by co-sputtering of Ni–Mn–Sb and Al targets. Experimental results revealed the decrease in martensitic transformation temperature with increasing Al content upto a certain extent (3.3%) beyond which martensitic transformation was suppressed. Paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition temperature (T_C) also decreased with increasing Al concentration. Ni₅₀Mn_36.3Sb_10.4Al_3.3 thin film showed significant improvement in exchange bias field as compared to pure Ni_50.3Mn_36.9Sb_12.8 thin film. This enhancement in the exchange bias field H_EB = 611 Oe at 10 K is attributed to the increase of AFM-FM interactions that result from the decrease of Mn–Mn distance due to the incorporation of Al atoms. This behaviour is an additional property of the FSMA thin films apart from various other multifunctional properties and therefore, is of technological importance for their applications in magnetic storage devices.     

Temperature-dependent magnetic anomalies of CuO nanoparticles

Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles with an average size of 25 nm were prepared by a sol-gel method. A detailed study was made of the magnetization of CuO nanoparticles using a maximum field of 60 kOe for temperatures between 8 and 300 K. Antiferromagnetic CuO nanoparticles exhibit anomalous magnetic properties, such as enhanced coercivity and magnetic moments. Significantly, the magnitude of the hysteresis component tends to weaken upon increase in temperature (>8 K). In addition, a hysteresis loop shift and coercivity enhancement are observed at 8 K in the field-cooled (FC, at 50 kOe) case. It is thought that the change in hysteresis behavior is due to the uncompensated surface spins of the CuO nanoparticles. The susceptibility (χ) plot showed that χ varied substantially at temperatures below 12 K, and this transition is due to the exchange interactions between the neighboring atoms at the nanoscale.     

Improving exchange-coupling field in the same thickness of pinned magnetic layer

A conventional Ta/NiFe/Cu/NiFe/FeMn spin valve was prepared to investigate the exchange bias properties with the variations of deposition field. By enhancing the deposition magnetic fields from 50 to 650 Oe, increase of exchange bias fields at a given thickness of the pinned NiFe layer has been found in the spin valves. In this paper, we show that this increase is due to the change of magnetic moment distribution at the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interface by comparison of measured results with the interfacial uncompensated model. Therefore, by enhancing deposition magnetic fields, a large exchange-coupling field can be achieved in relatively thicker magnetic films for application.     

Co/Co3O4/PZT多铁复合薄膜的交换偏置效应及其磁电耦合特性

本文采用溶胶-凝胶工艺并结合脉冲激光沉积技术, 在Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si衬底上制备了Co/Co₃O₄/PZT多铁复合薄膜. 对复合薄膜的微结构和组分进行了表征, 并系统研究了复合薄膜中的交换偏置效应及其对磁电耦合作用的影响. 研究结果表明, 复合薄膜在77 K具有明显的交换偏置效应, 交换偏置场达到80 Oe, 且交换偏置场及矫顽场均随温度降低而增大. 当温度降低到10 K时, 交换偏置场增至160 Oe. X射线光电子能谱(XPS)测试结果证实在Co和Co₃O₄界面处存在约5 nm厚的CoO层, 表明77 K下的交换偏置效应源自反铁磁的CoO层对Co的钉扎作用. 观察到复合薄膜的电容-温度曲线随着外加磁场大小和方向的改变而呈现出规律性的变化, 表明复合薄膜存在磁电耦合效应. 进一步研究发现, 在低温下复合薄膜呈现出各向异性的磁电容效应, 与磁场大小和方向密切相关. 复合薄膜的这种磁电耦合特性主要与复合体系的交换偏置效应及基于界面应力传递的磁电耦合作用有关, 本文对其中的物理机理进行了详细讨论与分析.     

Large-scale synthesis and magnetic properties of cubic CoO nanoparticles

We present the synthesis, microstructural and magnetic characterization of cubic CoO nanoparticles with well-controlled size and shape. The as-synthesized CoO nanoparticles are stable because of the organic coating that occurred in situ. The Néel temperature is 225 and 280 K for the 42 and 74 nm CoO particles, respectively. The CoO nanoparticles exhibit anomalous magnetic properties, such as large moments, coercivities and loop shifts. These results provide evidence for the formation of spin compensated random system in CoO. The structurally distorted and magnetically disordered surface layer ferromagnetic phase played an important role in the magnetic behavior of CoO nanoparticles. The smaller is the particle size, the stronger is the contribution of the ferromagnetic phase and the more is the surface layer helpful to enhance the observed coercivity and the exchange bias.