Xenon-ion Induced Magnetic and Structural Modifications of Ferromagnetic Alloys

Thin polycrystalline films of permalloy (Ni₇₉Fe₂₁) and permendur (Co₅₀Fe₅₀) have been irradiated with Xe-ions to fluences of 10¹⁴–10¹⁶ ions/cm². Ion-induced structural and magnetic modifications have been measured by grazing angle X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering and magneto-optical Kerr effect. In the case of permendur, the Xe-ion implantation first reduced the coercivity, because of stress relaxation, while higher ion fluences increased the coercivity due to pinning centers generated in the film. The ion irradiation aligned the in-plane easy axis of the magnetization along the direction of the external magnetic field during implantation. Phase shifts obtained from magnetic force microscopy confirmed these modifications. The effects of Xe-ion irradiation in permalloy films are much weaker and underline the importance of magnetostriction in the variation of the coercivity and anisotropy.     

M?ssbauer study of FINEMET type nanocrystalline ribbons irradiated with swift heavy ions

As-quenched and stress field annealed FINEMET ribbons were irradiated with 246?MeV energy Kr, 470?MeV energy Xe and 720?MeV energy Bi ions and investigated by ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectroscopy and XRD methods. The change in relative areas of the 2nd and 5th lines in the M?ssbauer spectra indicated significant changes in the magnetic anisotropy of both as-quenched and stress annealed FINEMET due to irradiation with swift heavy ions. Differences were observed between the effect of irradiations with various ions having different energy and fluence. The effect of irradiation on the magnetic orientation in FINEMET was explained in terms of radiation induced defects. The swift heavy ion irradiation can be applied to produce FINEMET ribbons with more favorable soft magnetic properties for technological applications.     

Heavy Ion Irradiated Ferromagnetic Films: The Cases of Cobalt and Iron

Polycrystalline, e-gun deposited Co, Fe and Co/Fe films, tens of nanometers thick, have been irradiated with Ne, Kr, Xe and/or Fe ions to fluences of up to 5 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². Changes in the magnetic texture induced by the implanted ions have been measured by means of hyperfine methods, such as Magnetic Orientation Mössbauer Spectroscopy (Fe), and by Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry. In Co and CoFe an hcp → fcc phase transition has been observed under the influence of Xe-ion implantation. For 10¹⁶ Xe-ions/cm², ion beam mixing in the Co/Fe system produces a soft magnetic material with uniaxial anisotropy. The effects have been correlated with changes in the microstructure as determined via X-ray diffraction. The influences of internal and external strain fields, an external magnetic field and pre-magnetization have been studied. A comprehensive understanding of the various effects and underlying physical reasons for the modifications appears to emerge from these investigations.     

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.     

Variation of magnetic properties in heat treated and ball milled Fe3Al alloy

The magnetic properties of three samples of Fe₃Al—as melted and annealed, high energy ball milled and milled sample followed by annealing—have been studied using a combination of X-ray diffraction, Transmission electron microscopy, room temperature ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectroscopy and DC magnetization. The different magnetic contributions in the M?ssbauer spectra have been explained in terms of the nearest neighbour Al configuration of Fe. These correlate well to the bulk magnetic properties determined by DC magnetization. High temperature DC magnetization studies show the presence of antiferromagnetic contributions from grain boundaries in the ball milled, nano sized sample.     

Time-domain interferometry experiments using multi-line nuclear absorbers

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of octadecanoyl hydroxamic acid (C18N) complexed with Fe^3?+? ions have been prepared at various subphase pH values. The LB films consisting of different number of layers were investigated by ⁵⁷Fe conversion electron M?ssbauer spectroscopy (CEM) at room temperature. The CEM detector contained a piece of α-iron, enriched with ⁵⁷Fe, using as an internal standard. The M?ssbauer pattern of the C18N/Fe LB films is a doublet with parameters δ = 0.35?mm/s and Δ = 0.74?mm/s. A gradual increase of the relative occurrence of the doublet compared to the sextet of the internal standard was observed with the increasing number of layers, indicating the nearly uniform distribution of Fe among the LB layers.     

Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic properties in thin films of FexNi100−x electroplated on silicon (1 0 0)

Fe_xNi_100−x thin films were produced by galvanostatic electrodeposition on Si (1 0 0), nominal thickness 2800 nm, and x ranging 7-20. The crystalline structure of the sample was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The magnetic properties were investigated by vibration sample magnetometry (VSM) and room temperature ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Conversion Electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) in both film surfaces for the thick self-supported films showed that the magnetic moment direction is in the plane and conventional transmission (MS) that the directions are out of the plane films. The results were interpreted assuming a three-layer model where the external layer has in-plane magnetization and the internal one, out of plane magnetization.     

Impact of ligand spacer and counter-anion in selected 1D iron(II) spin crossover coordination polymers

A new 1D coordination polymer [Fe(βAlatrz)₃](ClO₄)₂ ? H₂O (1) with a neutral bidentate ligand, βAlatrz = 4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl-propionate, was prepared and its magnetic behavior was investigated by temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements and ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the high-spin molar fraction derived from ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectroscopy recorded on cooling below room temperature reveals a gradual single step transition with T_1/2 = 173?K between high-spin and low-spin states in agreement with magnetic susceptibility measurements. 1 presents striking reversible thermochromism from white, at room temperature, to pink on quench cooling to liquid nitrogen. The phase transition is of first order as deduced from differential scanning calorimetry, with T_1/2 matching the one determined by both SQUID and ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectroscopy. A brief assessment has been made among closely related 1D coordination polymers to perceive the effect of ligand spacer length and anion effect on the spin crossover behavior of these new materials.     

Magnetic property and Mössbauer analysis of SrSn<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Fe<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Bold">x</Emphasis></Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> prepared by a sol-gel method

The dilute magnetic properties of SrSn_1?xFe_xO₃ (x = 0.01 ? 0.15) prepared by sol-gel and thermal decomposition methods were investigated by ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectrometry, magnetometry, and X-ray diffractometry. It was found that SrSnO₃ doped with 2–8 % Fe show weak ferromagnetism although only paramagnetic doublets are observed in ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra at room temperature (RT), whereas SrSnO₃ doped with 10–15 % Fe show relatively strong ferromagnetism, and the sextets are additionally observed in the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra at RT. The weak ferromagnetism by doping 2–8 % Fe is considered to be caused by the induced magnetic defects, and the ferromagnetism by doping 10–15 % Fe are considered mainly due to the magnetic coupling between dilute Fe ³⁺ partially substituted at Sn ⁴⁺ sites in the orthorhombic structure of SrSnO_3?δ accompanying the oxygen deficiencies. It is further remarkable that poor crystalline 8 % Fe doped SrSnO_3?δ obtained by annealing at 600 ^°C shows relatively high saturation magnetization and low coercivity.     

Magnetic texturing of xenon-ion irradiated nickel films

Thin polycrystalline Ni films of typically 75 nm thickness evaporated on Si or SiO₂ substrates were irradiated with 30-900 keV Xe-ions to fluences of 2.5 x 10¹³ - 4 x 10¹⁴/cm². The magnetization of the Ni films was measured using the longitudinal Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry. The Ni-film thickness and Xe-concentration profiles were determined with Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and the lattice dilation with X-ray diffraction. The Xe-irradiations were found to induce an in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy within the Ni-films. This magnetic texture was investigated in relationship to the microstructure as function of the ion energy and fluence, the sample temperature, the presence of an external magnetic field during the irradiation and the stress field produced before, during and after the implantations.Received: 30 September 2004, Published online: 14 December 2004PACS: 61.82.Bg Metals and alloys - 68.55.Ln Defects and impurities: doping, implantation, distribution, concentration, etc. - 75.30.Gw Magnetic anisotropy - 75.70.-i Magnetic properties of thin films, surfaces, and interfaces     

151Eu and57Fe Mössbauer effect studies of magnetic interactions in europium transition element oxides solution

The solid state solutions of europium transition element oxides Eu (Fe0.8M0.2)O₃ (M=Sc,Cr,Mn,Co) are synthesized. The X-ray diffraction of the compound shows that all the compounds possess the perovskite structures. Both the¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer spectra and the⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra are measured. The hyperfine magnetic field and non-axisymmetric electric field gradient are observed in the¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer spectrum. The⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectrum shows that there are four components of hyperfine fields corresponding to four kinds of different neighbours of the Fe ion.     

Correlation between site preference and magnetic properties of substituted strontium ferrite thin films

SrFe_12−x(Sn_0.5Zn_0.5)_xO₁₉ thin films with x=0−5 were synthesized by a sol-gel method on thermally oxidized silicon wafer (Si/SiO₂). The site preference and magnetic properties of Zn-Sn substituted strontium ferrite thin films were studied using ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. Mössbauer spectra displayed that the Zn-Sn ions preferentially occupy the 2b and 4f₂ sites. The preference for these sites is responsible for the anomalous increase in the magnetization at high Zn-Sn substitutions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) micrographs demonstrated that single phase c-axis hexagonal ferrite films with rather narrow grain size distribution were obtained. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was employed to probe magnetic properties of samples. The maximum saturation of magnetization and coercivity at perpendicular direction were 265 emu/g and 6.3 kOe, respectively. It was found that the complex susceptibility has linear variation with static magnetic field.     

Mössbauer effect studies of Fe–C combinatorially sputtered thin films

Alloys of Fe_{1? x} C _x were produced using combinatorial sputtering methods. The composition of the films as a function of position was determined using electron microprobe techniques and the results have shown that a composition range of about 0.35?<?x?<?0.75 was obtained. X-ray diffraction methods were employed to study the structure of the thin films and showed that all portions of the films were amorphous or nanostructured. Room temperature ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy was utilized to study the atomic environment around the Fe atoms. Hyperfine field distributions of ferromagnetic alloys, as extracted from the Mössbauer analysis, suggested the existence of two classes of Fe sites: (1) classes of Fe sites that have primarily Fe neighbours corresponding to a high-field component in the distribution and (2) classes of Fe sites that have a greater number of C neighbours, corresponding to a low-field component. The magnetic splitting decreased as a function of increasing carbon concentration and alloys with x greater than about 0.68 were primarily paramagnetic in nature. These spectra exhibited distributions of quadrupole splitting with mean splitting in excess of 1.0?mm/s. This indicates a higher degree of local asymmetry around the Fe sites than typically seen in other Fe-metalloid systems.     

Magnetic Texturing of Xenon-Irradiated Iron Films Studied by Magnetic Orientation Mössbauer Spectroscopy

Modifications of magnetic properties upon heavy-ion irradiation have been recently investigated for films of ferromagnetic 3d-elements (Fe, Ni, Co) and alloys (permendur, permalloy), in relation to changes of their microstructure. Here we report on Xe-ion irradiation of a highly textured iron film prepared via pulsed-laser deposition on a MgO(100) single crystal and containing a thin ⁵⁷Fe marker layer for magnetic orientation Mössbauer spectroscopy (MOMS). We compare the results with those obtained for a polycrystalline Fe/Si(100) sample produced by electron evaporation and premagnetized before Xe-irradiation in a 300 Oe external field. Characterization of the samples also included magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).     

Alloying by high dose ion implantation of iron into magnesium and aluminium

Alloys of the systems Fe–Al (mixable over the whole concentration range) and Fe–Mg (insoluble with each other) were produced by implantation of Fe ions into Al and Mg, respectively. The implantation energy was 200 keV and the ion doses ranged from 1 × 10₁₄ to 9 × 10₁₇cm^-2The obtained implantation profiles were determined by Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling. Maximum iron concentrations reached were up to 60 at.% for implantation into Al and 94 at.% for implantation into Mg. Phase analysis of the implanted layers was performed by conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. For implantation into Mg, two different kinds of Mössbauer spectra were obtained: at low doses paramagnetic doublets indicating at least two different iron sites and at high doses a dominant ferromagnetic six‐line‐pattern with a small paramagnetic fraction. The X‐ray diffraction pattern concluded that in the latter case a dilated αiron lattice is formed. For implantation into Al, the Mössbauer spectra were doublet structures very similar to those obtained at amorphous Fe–Al alloys produced by rapid quenching methods. They also indicated at least two different main iron environments. For the highest implanted sample a ferromagnetic six‐line‐pattern with magnetic field values close to those of Fe₃Al appeared.     

Superferromagnetic state of α-Fe in Fe implanted Co6Ag94 studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy

After having introduced by ion implantation ⁵⁷Fe to a local concentration of 7 at% into Co₆Ag₉₄, we observed it by conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy in the as-prepared state and after isochronal annealing. A superferromagnetic state is inferred, which is correlated with the ordering of the magnetic moments on the Fe clusters through chain-like or dendritic Co/Fe linear structures. The magnetic moment disordering temperature lies above 473 K.     

Thermal evolution and aging of Co-sputtered iron-tin thin films

The composition, structure, magnetic properties and stability of iron-tin thin films produced by co-evaporation with de magnetron sputtering are studied. Rutherford backscattering. Auger electron spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction and conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy indicate the formation of a homogeneous solid solution of tin in iron with a concentration well above the limit of equilibrium solid solubility. Measurements with a vibrating-sample magnetometer show that the films present saturation magnetization and remanence similar to those of pure iron, but a much smaller coercivity. Thermal treatment or aging lead to second-phase precipitation, which is accompanied by a growth of coercivity and remanence.     

High-frequency magnetic modulation of recoilless gamma radiation of57Fe

Radio-frequency (rf) magnetic modulation has been used to generate sidebands in⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra of Fe_0.18Ni_0.82 Permalloy foils which have the smallest constant of magnetostriction among Fe?Ni alloys. Sidebands in Mössbauer spectra were observed at 30 MHz and 55 MHz. In addition to the generation of sidebands, the external rf magnetic field was found to alter the line positions of the original six line spectrum. An attempt was made to study acoustic vibrations in the foil by means of X-ray diffraction. The rf magnetic field caused changes in diffraction peak intensities and positions. It was found that X-ray diffraction can be used to study the amplitude of acoustic vibrations in Permalloy foils.     

The interaction of Fe on MgO(1 0 0) surfaces

The atomic interaction and magnetic properties of ultrathin Fe films grown on cleaved and polished MgO(1 0 0) surfaces were studied by conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS). ⁵⁷Fe layers were deposited as probe atoms in different layer positions in 10 ML thick Fe films. Fe layers of different thicknesses were formed on polished and cleaved substrate surfaces at RT deposition. The analysis of the spectra showed no Fe-O^2- interaction in MgO/Fe interface. FeO phase formation was excluded. The Mössbauer spectrum of 5 ML ⁵⁷Fe sample showed enhanced internal magnetic field at 80 K. No interdiffusion of ⁵⁷Fe and ⁵⁶Fe atoms was observed between the layers at room temperature.     

57Fe and119Sn Mössbauer study of Ti-Containing highT c superconductors

⁵⁷Fe and¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy as well as X-ray diffractometry were used to study Ti?Ca?Ba?Cu?O high T_c superconductors (T_c=106K) in the 4 to 300 K temperature range. X-ray diffractograms showed the dominant phase of these supercondutors to be 2-1-2-2 type. Three main iron sites were found and associalted with Fe in Cu sites in the real crystal. The dopublet with IS=0.25 mm/s and QS=0.7 mm/s at RT was attributed to the regular Cu site. No magnetic splitting was observed either in Sn or in Fe spectra taken even at 4 and 5K.