Microwave and static magnetic properties of multi-layered iron-based films

Thin ferromagnetic films with in-plane magnetic anisotropy are promising materials for obtaining high microwave permeability. To produce a bulk massive sample from thin films, multi-layer films made of a number of many thin films may be used. The paper reports on an experimental study of microwave and static magnetic properties of multi-layer iron-based films and composite samples made of these. The multi-layer films under study are deposited onto a mylar substrate by a magnetron-sputtering process performed in Ar atmosphere with controlled N₂ admixture. The sputtered iron layers are alternated with SiO₂ layers. The measured static and microwave magnetic properties of the bulk sample are found to differ from the properties of constituent films. This is an evidence for strong interactions between the magnetic layers in the sample, which interact at distances exceeding greatly the distance between adjacent magnetic layers. A theoretic model is developed to account for magneto-dipole interactions between iron films in a multi-layer system. The model explains the anomalously high demagnetization field of the sample observed in the measurements.     

Characterization of the magnetic properties of a GdBa2Cu3O7/La0.75Sr0.25MnO3 superlattice using off-axis electron holography

Off-axis electron holography is used to characterize the magnetic properties of a GdBa₂Cu₃O₇/La_0.75Sr_0.25MnO₃ superlattice below the Curie temperature of the manganite layers, in both cross-sectional and plan-view geometry. The samples were prepared for electron microscopy using focused ion beam milling. Differences between the magnetic properties of successive manganite layers are observed in the cross-sectional sample. Magnetic ripple contrast and weakly magnetic regions are observed in plan-view geometry. Although the results may be affected by sample preparation for electron microscopy, the observed differences between the magnetic properties of the manganite layers are consistent between the different samples examined.     

Magnetic-field behavior of heterogeneous magnetic materials

Results on the investigation of the magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Co/Ni/Fe and Fe/Zr/Fe thin-film systems are presented. The study of the magnetic properties of the examined samples was carried out employing magneto-optical micromagnetometer with a surface sensitivity about of 20 nm of the thickness depth and a vibrating sample magnetometer. The examined samples were revealed to exhibit hysteresis loops of complicated forms. These data were explained by the magnetostatic and exchange interactions between the layers in heterogeneous magnetic materials.     

Model for domain wall avalanches in ferromagnetic thin films

The Barkhausen jumps or avalanches in magnetic domain-walls motion between successive pinned configurations, due the competition among magnetic external driving force and substrum quenched disorder, appear in bulk materials and thin films. We introduce a model based in rules for the domain wall evolution of ferromagnetic media with exchange or short-range interactions, that include disorder and driving force effects. We simulate in 2-dimensions with Monte Carlo dynamics, calculate numerically distributions of sizes and durations of the jumps and find power-law critical behavior. The avalanche-size exponent is in excellent agreement with experimental results for thin films and is close to predictions of the other models, such as like random-field and random-bond disorder, or functional renormalization group. The model allows us to review current issues in the study of avalanches motion of the magnetic domain walls in thin films with ferromagnetic interactions and opens a new approach to describe these materials with dipolar or long-range interactions.     

Influence of the microcrystalline structure on the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic films and structures on their base

This paper presents the results of investigating the crystal structure of thin films of the Co₄₀Fe₆₀ composition obtained by magnetron sputtering on their magnetic properties and properties of ferromagnetic nanostructures formed from these films using the optical and electron lithography. It has been found experimentally that magnetic properties of the structures depend on the crystalline-grain sizes, which can be controlled by means of deposition of additional buffer layers of various materials ～1 nm thick on the substrate under the ferromagnetic film. It has been shown that the crystallite size can be the main factor that determines the minimal lateral sizes of the structures with specified magnetic properties, which are formed from thin ferromagnetic films.     

Magnetic-state tuning of the rhombohedral graphite film by interlayer spacing and thickness

Based on first-principles total-energy calculations, we systematically investigate how the electronic and magnetic properties of rhombohedral graphite thin films depend on the interlayer spacing and number of layers. Our calculations show that the magnetic ordering of the thin films depends on the interlayer spacing. Thin films under compression normal to the layers possess finite magnetic moments, indicating parallel spin coupling between the two surfaces. We also find that thin graphite films with seven or more atomic layers exhibit magnetic ordering while films with six or less atomic layers are metallic with no magnetic ordering.     

Influence of Surface Transition Layers on Phase Transformation and Pyroelectric Properties of Ferroelectric Thin Film

Taking into account surface transition layers （STLs）, we study the phase transformation and pyroelectric properties of ferroelectric thin films by employing the transverse Ising model （TIM） in the framework of the mean field approximation. The distribution functions representing the intra-layer and inter-layer couplings between the two nearest neighbour pseudo-spins are introduced to characterize STLs. Compared with the results obtained by the traditional treatments for the thin films using only the single surface transition layer （SSL）, it is shown that the STL model reflects a more realistic and comprehensive situation of films. The effects of various parameters on the phase transformation properties have shown that STL can make the Curie temperature of the film higher or lower than that of the corresponding Sulk material, and the thickness of STL is a key factor influencing the film properties. For a film with definite thickness, there exists a critical STL thickness at which ferroelectricity will disappear when the intra-layer and inter-layer interactions are weak.     

X-ray and neutron reflectivity analysis of thin films and superlattices

X-ray and neutron reflectivity measurements provide a wealth of information on thickness and interfacial properties on the nanometer scale. This method is therefore well suited for the study of nano-structured thin films and superlattices. Neutrons provide a different contrast between the elements than X-rays and, in addition, are sensitive to the magnetization in the sample. Using polarized neutrons, magnetic as well as chemical profiles can be probed. In this review a basic introduction into the theory of X-ray and neutron reflectivity is provided along with some recent examples including the oxidation of Fe films and the structural and magnetic properties of Co/Cu superlattices.     

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.     

Magnetic interactions in Co-based alloy thin films

The interactions in ternary and quaternary Co-based alloy thin films for longitudinal recording media, with different thickness, are studied. The analysis is performed through the measurement of the initial magnetization and ordinary hysteresis curves. The interactions result stronger in quaternary than in ternary alloy films and when the film thickness is smaller. These findings are discussed in relationship with the evolution of the magnetization switching, characterized by a tendency towards a more coherent rotation of the magnetization in single-domain grains of thinnest and quaternary films, owing to the complex structure of these films. The impact of this evolution on the thermal stability of the magnetic properties is also discussed.     

The evolution of magnetic,electrical and structural properties of nanogranular [FeCoBN/SiN]×n thin films

Some results concerning the magnetic, electrical and microstructural properties of multilayer [FeCoBN/Si₃N₄]×n films in view of their utilization for manufacturing thin film magnetic inductors are presented. A comparison between the magnetic, electrical and structural properties of FeCoBN and [FeCoBN/Si₃N₄]×n thin films is also reported. The [FeCoBN/Si₃N₄]×n thin films with the thickness of the FeCoBN layers varied from 10 to 30 nm, exhibit good soft magnetic characteristics and high values for electrical resistivity such as Ms of 172–185 A m²/kg, Hc of 318–1433 A/m and ρ of 82–48×10⁻⁷ Ω m, respectively. These physical properties of the samples are discussed in relation with the microstructure of the multilayer system.     

Investigation of ferromagnetic resonance and damping properties of CoFeB

In this study, the influences of thin film thickness and post-annealing process on the magnetic properties of CoFeB thin films were investigated. The angular dependency and linewidth of the ferromagnetic resonance signal were used to explore the magnetic behavior of sputtered single-layer and trilayer thin film stacks of CoFeB. A micromagnetic simulation model was employed based on the metropolis algorithm comprising the demagnetizing field and in-plane induced uniaxial anisotropy terms with all relevant contributions. Our results reveal that the direction of magnetization changes from in-plane to out-of-plane as a result of the annealing process and induces a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the 1-nm thick CoFeB thin film. The ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidth can be defined well by the intrinsic Gilbert damping effect and the magnetic inhomogeneity contribution in both as-grown and annealed samples. The difference between the linewidths of the single and trilayer film is mainly caused by the spin pumping effect on damping which is associated with the interface layers.     

Evidence of very high coercive fields in orthoferrite phases of PLD grown thin films

Thin magnetic layers have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) from targets of the orthoferrites: DyFeO₃, GdFeO₃ SmFeO₃ and YFeO₃. All layers were deposited onto quartz substrates at 450°C under oxygen partial pressures ranging from 0 to 80 mTorr. The resulting layers display evidence of various magnetic phases, including garnet and orthoferrite phases, as evidenced by X-ray diffraction. The magnetic properties of the thin films have been analysed using SQUID and vibrating sample magnetometries. A simple model is proposed to aid the analysis of hysteresis loops for samples of more than one magnetic phase. The orthoferrite phases display very high coercive fields, in the range 1.5–1.8 T.     

Anomalous Hall effect in Cu and Fe codoped In2O3 and ITO thin films

We present a systematic study of the structure, magnetization, resistivity, and Hall effect properties of pulsed laser deposited Fe- and Cu-codoped In₂O₃ and indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films. Both the films show a clear ferromagnetism and anomalous Hall effect at 300 K. The saturated magnetic moments are almost the same for the two samples, but their remanent moments M_r and coercive fields H_C are quite different. M_r and H_C values of ITO film are much smaller than that of In₂O₃. The ITO sample shows a typical semiconducting behavior in whole studied temperature range, while the In₂O₃ thin film is metallic in the temperature range between 147 and 285 K. Analysis of different conduction mechanisms suggest that charge carriers are not localized in the present films. The profile of the anomalous Hall effect vs. magnetic field was found to be identical to the magnetic hysteresis loops, indicating the possible intrinsic nature of ferromagnetism in the present samples.     

Magnetic force microscopy study of magnetic stray-field effects due to mechanical surface modifications of patterned Permalloy thin films

The domain structure of magnetic thin films is strongly influenced by the presence of surface defects. We have used a scanning tunneling microscope for local surface modifications of thin Permalloy films by mechanical interaction between tip and sample. The changes of the magnetic stray-field distribution due to local topographic modifications have been probed by magnetic force microscopy. The relationship between the surface morphology and the micromagnetic structure is studied for different types of surface modifications.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy investigation of CoO/Fe(001) and Fe/CoO/Fe(001) layered structures

We report on the nanometer scale morphology of CoO thin films grown on top of Fe(001) substrates from the early stages of interface formation (few atomic layers), and on the surface topography of Fe/CoO/Fe(001) layered structures. The growth of the CoO films is dominated by formation of islands up to about 5 nominal atomic layers, then it proceeds in the layer-plus-island regime. The surface topography of thin Fe films grown on top of the CoO/Fe systems is strongly influenced by the morphology of the latter. Moreover, we observe a strong relationship between the growth mode and the chemical interactions at the CoO/Fe interface, since thick layers of iron oxides develop only below the CoO islands, as an effect of the proximity between Fe and Co atoms. We finally discuss possible implications of our observations on the magnetic properties of these layered magnetic structures.     

强磁场对不同厚度Fe-Ni纳米多晶薄膜的生长过程及磁性能的影响

有无6 T强磁场条件下, 利用分子束气相沉积方法制备了21 nm和235 nm厚的Fe-Ni纳米多晶薄膜. 研究发现, 0 T时, 21 nm厚的薄膜是晶粒堆叠而成, 晶粒尺寸为6–7 nm; 6 T时, 21 nm厚的薄膜首先在基片表面形成了晶粒相互连接的5 nm平坦层, 晶粒沿基片表面拉长, 随后以6–7 nm尺寸的晶粒堆叠而成; 0 T时, 235 nm厚度的薄膜生长初期平均晶粒尺寸为3.6 nm, 生长中期平均晶粒尺寸为5.6 nm, 生长末期薄膜近似柱状方式生长, 晶粒沿生长方向拉长; 6 T时, 235 nm厚度的薄膜在基片表面也形成了晶粒相互连接的5 nm平坦层, 晶粒沿基片表面拉长, 随后以尺寸均匀的6.1 nm晶粒堆叠而成; 而且, 6 T强磁场使得不同厚度薄膜的面外与面内矫顽力都降低.     

Magnetic force microscopy study of domain structures in magnetic films

Magnetic force microscopy is used to investigate two different types of samples: thin metal films and ferrite garnet films. It is pointed out for garnet films that magnetic force microscopy allows us only to judge the domain structure of surface layers. Problems associated with conducting measurements in external magnetic fields, the effect of the magnetic field of the probe on the investigated domain structure, and using magneto-polarized optics in combination with magnetic force microscopy are considered.     

A correlation for crystallite size of undoped ZnO thin film with the band gap energy – precursor molarity – substrate temperature

Transparent conducting undoped zinc oxide thin films were deposited on glass substrate by ultrasonic spray and spray pyrolysis techniques. The thin films were deposited at different substrate temperatures ranging between 300 and 450 °C with various precursor molarities. The correlation between the structural and optical properties suggests that the crystallites sizes of the films are predominantly influenced by the band gap energy of the thin films. The data of the correlation is suspected of involving some experimental measurement errors and therefore discarded in the development of the present correlation. The coefficient of correction is equal to 0.01, indicating high quality representation of data based on Eq. (1). The correlation also indicates that the crystallites sizes of the films are predominantly influenced by the band gap energy and the precursor molarity of the thin films. The model proposed of undoped ZnO thin film with substrate temperature was investigated.     

Influence of complexing agent on the electrodeposited Co-Pt-W magnetic thin films

Complexing agents are often used to improve the quality of electrodeposited alloys. Influence of different complexing agents with hydroxycarboxylic acid group on the electrodeposited Co-Pt-W thin films has been investigated. Cathodic polarization curves show that the polarization behaviors of electroplating bath with different complexing agents are very different. Surface morphology, phase composition and magnetic properties are observed by means of FESEM, XRD and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. It has been found out that, if citrate was used as complexing agent, the Co-Pt-W thin films were homogeneous and the granular crystals with the average grain size of 2 μm have been observed. Co-Pt-W thin films exhibited hexagonal close packed (hcp) lattice and strong perpendicular anisotropic magnetic behavior (H_c⊥ = 215.5 kA/m; H_c∥ = 55.4 kA/m). In the presence of gluconate, needle-like deposits were obtained and a strong face centered cubic (fcc(1 1 1)) texture was measured. The Co-Pt-W thin films showed isotropic magnetic behavior. In the case of tartate and malate, the coexistence of needle-like deposits and cellular deposits appeared. The XRD patterns showed that the mixed fcc and hcp phase formed. Perpendicular anisotropic magnetic behaviors of thin films, from malate or tartate baths, were not obvious.