Thickness-dependent magnetic properties of Ni81Fe19, Co90Fe10 and Ni65Fe15Co20 thin films

We present results of magnetization and magnetic anisotropy measurements in thin magnetic films of the alloys Ni₈₁Fe₁₉, Co₉₀Fe₁₀ and Ni₆₅Fe₁₅Co₂₀ that are commonly used in magnetoelectronic devices. The films were sandwiched between layers of Ta. At room temperature the critical thickness for all the films to become ferromagnetic is in the range 11–13 Å. In Co₉₀Fe₁₀ the coercivity and the anisotropy field both depend strongly on layer thickness.     

Structural and electrical properties of evaporated Fe thin films

Series of Fe thin films have been prepared by thermal evaporation onto glass and Si(1 0 0) substrates. The Rutherford backscattering (RBS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the four point probe techniques have been used to investigate the structural and electrical properties of these Fe thin films as a function of the substrate, the Fe thickness t in the 76-431 nm range and the deposition rate. The Fe/Si samples have a 〈1 1 0〉 for all thicknesses, whereas the Fe/glass grows with a strong 〈1 0 0〉 texture; as t increases (>100 nm), the preferred orientation changes to 〈1 1 0〉. The compressive stress in Fe/Si remains constant over the whole thickness range and is greater than the one in Fe/glass which is relieved when t > 100 nm. The grain size D values are between 9.2 and 30 nm. The Fe/glass films are more electrically resistive than the Fe/Si(1 0 0) ones. Diffusion at the grain boundary seems to be the predominant factor in the electrical resistivity ρ values with the reflection coefficient R greater in Fe/glass than in Fe/Si. For the same thickness (100 nm), the decrease of the deposition rate from 4.3 to 0.3 Å/s did not affect the texture and the reflection coefficient R but led to an increase in D and a decrease in the strain and in ρ for both Fe/glass and Fe/Si systems. On the other hand, keeping the same deposition rate (0.3 Å/s) and increasing the thickness t from 76 to 100 nm induced different changes in the two systems.     

Hydrogenation effect on electrical,optical and magnetic properties of ZnSe/Co bilayer DMS thin films

This paper reports ZnSe/Co bilayer diluted magnetic semiconductor thin films have been prepared by using thermal evaporation technique. The bilayer DMS thin films were hydrogenated at different pressures (15–45 psi) for a constant time of 30 min. Before and after hydrogenations of these bilayer thin films the electrical, optical and magnetic properties have been investigated. Electrical resistivity and optical band gap were found to be increased with respect to hydrogenation pressure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic measurements confirmed the formation of DMS ZnSe/Co bilayer DMS thin films. Raman spectra show the presence of hydrogen in these thin films. Surface topography study of as-grown, annealed and hydrogenated ZnSe/Co bilayer thin films indicates uniform deposition, mixing of layers and increment in roughness at the surface due to hydrogen passivation effect respectively.     

Effect of technological conditions on the magnetic and magnetoresistive properties of Fe20Ni80/Fe50Mn50 films

The effect several physical and technological factors have on the magnetic and magnetoresistive properties of Fe₂₀Ni₈₀/Fe₅₀Mn₅₀ multilayers is studied. The best technological conditions for preparing films with high exchange bias fields (～30 Oe) and high anisotropy of the magnetoresistive effect (～2%) are determined.     

大规模制备Ni80Fe20纳米线阵列及其磁学特性研究

利用电化学沉积方法在高度有序纳米孔氧化铝模板中大规模制备了Ni80 Fe20纳米线阵列.该方法得到的Ni80Fe20纳米线产率高(约1012-1013/cm2),而且这些纳米线阵列具有(111)择优生长取向和很高的纵横比.与体材料相比,这些Ni80Fe20纳米线阵列具有更高的矫顽力和较大的剩磁比等性能,在微型磁性元件领域将具有广泛应用前景.     

The structures and magnetic properties of Cr/Fe and Mn/Fe thin films

Cr_1-x Fe _x and Mn_1-x Fe _x films were prepared at room temperature by thermal coevaporation at a deposition rate of about 25 Å/min. It was found that an amorphous phase can be obtained for Cr_1-x Fe _x (0.25<x<0.60) films, while a metastable-Mn-type phase was observed for Mn_1-x Fe _x (x<0.70) films. The influence of the structure on the magnetic properties has been studied. The amorphization ability of the two systems was discussed in terms of thermodynamic considerations.     

Morphology and magnetic properties of island-like Co and Ni films obtained by de-wetting

The morphological, structural, and magnetic properties of Co and Ni films of different thicknesses grown by RF sputtering on a Si–SiO substrate and submitted to controlled diffusion of atoms on the substrate (de-wetting) are studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and alternating-gradient magnetometry. For both metals, de-wetting treatment leads to the growth of non-percolating, metallic nanoislands characterized by a distribution of sizes and aspect ratios. XRD spectra reveal a polycrystalline multi-component structure evolving by effect of de-wetting and directly affecting the magnetic properties of films. The magnetic response after de-wetting is consistent with the formation of a nanogranular magnetic phase characterized by a complex, thickness-dependent magnetic behavior originating from the simultaneous presence of superparamagnetic and blocked-particle contributions. At intermediate film thickness (around 10 nm), a notable enhancement in magnetic coercivity is observed for both metals with respect to the values measured in precursor films and in their bulk counterparts.     

Structural and magnetic studies of Co thin films

The trend in reducing device dimension induces new physical properties and requires the development of measurement tools at the nanometer scale. This paper deals with the relation between magnetism and structure of thin films. We have chosen cobalt as a ferromagnetic layer and chromium as a bcc buffer. Magnetic and structural investigations have been led on epitaxial Co/Cr layers grown on MgO (001) substrates. The thickness of the cobalt layer varies from 0.75 to 20 nm. Investigations on the cobalt layer by EXAFS and HRTEM give evidence for a bcc or a hcp structure depending on the cobalt thickness. Magnetic measurements using SQUID indicate that the saturation magnetisation per volume unit is constant for the layers. EELS experiments have been carried out to measure any evolution in the I(L3)/I(L2) ratio for ferromagnetic layers of different thickness. We discuss the influence of structural and magnetic contributions on the evolution of the ratio with the cobalt thickness.     

Magnetic properties of lithographically defined lateral Co/Ni80Fe20 wires

A novel micro-fabrication technique has been used to create an array of lateral magnetic multilayers consisting of micron-sized sputtered Co and Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ wires. The structures were fabricated using conventional optical lithography and a combination of hard and soft lift-off methods. For the field applied parallel to the wires intrinsic easy axis, we observed two switching fields corresponding to the distinct coercive field of the Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ wires (H_c1) and Co wires (H_c2) constituting the lateral multilayer wire array. A state of anti-parallel relative alignment of magnetization was observed when the applied field is greater than the switching field of Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ wires but less than the switching field of Co wires. We found the region of anti-parallel alignment of magnetization between the Co and Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ wires to be very sensitive to the relative orientation of the applied magnetic field.     

Epitaxial MnP thin films: epitaxial growth,magnetic and electrical properties

We have grown 500 Å MnP on undoped GaAs(1 0 0) substrate using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. In order to characterize the crystal structure of MnP, we performed in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction and θ–2θ XRD X-ray diffraction studies. From the measurements of superconducting quantum interference device, Quantum Design, MnP thin film shows ferromagnetic ordering at around 291.5 K. It shows a metallic resistivity in MnP thin film.     

Ionic liquid gating control of magnetic anisotropy in Ni0.81Fe0.19 thin films

Voltage control magnetism is one of the most energy efficient pathway towards magnetoelectric (ME) device. Ionic liquid gating (ILG) method has already shown impressive manipulation power at the IL/electrode interface to influence the structure, orbital as well as spin of the electrode materials. As key material in anisotropy magnetoresistance sensor and spin valve heterostructure, the permalloy Ni_0.81Fe_0.19 was utilized as the electrode to investigate the ILG induced magnetic anisotropy change. In this work, we realized magnetic anisotropy control in Au/[DEME]⁺[TFSI]^-/Ni_0.81Fe_0.19 (2.5 nm)/Ta heterostructure via ILG caused electrostatic doping. This is evidenced in situ reversible ferromagnetic field (H_r) shift with electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer. Aiming at the question whether the charge accumulation at the ionic liquid interface is the main control mechanism at low voltage, we carefully tested the relationship between the change of resonance field and the amount of surface charge. It was found that these two had a good linear relationship between −1 V and +1 V. Defining the linear parameter as A whose value is 28.7 mT m²/Col. Unlike previously reported chemical regulation of Co, this article used ionic liquids to physically regulate NiFe, which has not been studied in the previous ionic liquid regulation. And NiFe has a narrower resonance line width for easy reference to microwave devices. In addition, It also has a stronger ferromagnetic signal than Co, which can be more easily detected as a sensor device. Therefore, this system is more promising. The ILG control NiFe may lead to a new kind of magnetoelectric sensor devices and path a new way to low energy consumption spintronics.     

溅射条件对Ni80Fe20薄膜各向异性磁电阻的影响

研究了基片温度和溅射气压对磁控溅射方法制备的Ni80Fe20磁性薄膜各向异性磁电阻的影响.实验发现基片温度是影响Ni80Fe20薄膜各向异性磁电阻最重要的因素.在较高的基片温度下,溅射气压对Ni80Fe20薄膜各向异性磁电阻也有较大的影响.基片温度在150~180℃,溅射气压在0.3~0.5 Pa范围内制备的Ni80Fe20薄膜有较大的各向异性磁电阻(3.7%~4.3%).     

Effect of Co underlayer on soft magnetic properties and microstructure of FeCo thin films

High saturation magnetization soft magnetic FeCo (=Fe₆₅Co₃₅) films were prepared using a thin Co underlayer. The FeCo/Co films exhibited a well-defined in-plane uniaxial anisotropy with easy axis coercivity (H_ce) of 10 Oe and hard axis coercivity (H_ch) of 3 Oe, and a half reduction of H_c with H_ce=4.8 Oe and H_ch=1.0 Oe was obtained when the composition was adjusted to 25 at% Co. The effective permeability of the films remains flat around 250 to 800 MHz. The saturation magnetostriction was 5.2×10⁻⁵ and the intrinsic stress was 0.8 GPa in FeCo single layer, both were slightly reduced by Co underlayer. The Co underlayer changed the preferred orientation of the FeCo films from (2 0 0) to (1 1 0) but more significantly, reduced the average grain size from ∼74 to ∼8.2 nm. It also reduced the surface roughness from 2.351 to 0.751 nm. The initial stage and interface diffusion properties were examined by TEM and XPS.     

Fe、Co、Ni混合团簇磁性的密度泛函研究

基于13原子二十面体结构,采用密度泛函方法系统计算研究了Fe、Co及Ni单质及二元混合团簇的磁性.发现有限温度下团簇磁性随结构畸变的敏感性随Fe、Co、Ni顺序逐渐减弱,同时发现二十面体结构Fe_(13)及Co_(13)均具有不同磁矩的近简并低能态.对FeNi及CoNi混合团簇、其磁矩随组分的变化不存在反常现象,但对于FeCo混合团簇、其磁矩随组分的演化行为存在个别反常现象.我们认为:这种反常现象能够对FeCo非晶合金中的实验观测结果提供一种可能的理论解释.     

Optical and electrical properties of InGaZnON thin films

The substrate temperature(T_s)and N_2 partial pressure(P_(N2))dependent optical and electrical properties of sputtered InGaZnON thin films are studied.With the increased T_s and P_(N2),the thin film becomes more crystallized and nitrified.The Hall mobility,free carrier concentration(Ne),and electrical conductivity increase with the lowered interfacial potential barrier during crystal growing.The photoluminescence(PL)intensity decreases with the increased Ne.The band gap(Eg)narrows and the linear refractive index(n1)increases with the increasing concentration of N in the thin films.The Stokes shift between the PL peak and absorption edge decreases with Eg.The n1,dispersion energy,average oscillator wavelength,and oscillator length strength all increase with n1.The single oscillator energy decreases with n1.The nonlinear refractive index and third order optical susceptibility increase with n1.The Seebeck coefficient,electron effective mass,mean free path,scattering time,and plasma energy are all Ne dependent.