Surface and interface studies with ASPIC

Magnetic properties at surfaces and interfaces have been investigated performing Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) measurements in the UHV chamber ASPIC (Apparatus for Surface Physics and Interfaces at CERN) using different PAC probes. The results are: (i) determination of magnetic hyperfine fields of Se on Fe, Co, Ni which are explained by a theoretical study on the magnetic hyperfine fields of 4sp-elements in adatom position on Ni and Fe;(ii) static magnetic hyperfine fields in ultrathin Pd on Ni(0 0 1) which indicate an induced magnetic order in Pd;(iii) the observation of induced fluctuating magnetic interactions in Pd when thick Pd is in contact with Ni. Monolayer-resolved measurements of the magnetic hyperfine fields in magnetized Pd are in accordance with theoretical predictions of the layer dependence of the induced magnetic moments in Pd. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Development of magnetic anisotropies in ultrathin epitaxial films of Fe(001) and Ni(001)

Ultrathin films, bcc Fe(001) on Ag(001), fcc Fe(001) on Cu(001) and Fe/Ni(001) bilayers on Ag, were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. A wide range of surface science tools were employed to establish the quality of epitaxial growth. Ferromagnetic resonance and Brillouin light scattering were used to extract the magnetic properties. Emphasis was placed on the study of magnetic anisotropies. Large uniaxial anisotropies with easy axis perpendicular to the film surface were observed in all ultrathin structures studied. These anisotropies were particularly strong in fcc Fe and bcc Fe films. In sufficiently thin samples the saturation magnetization was oriented perpendicularly to the film surface in the absence of an applied field. It has been demonstrated that in bcc Fe films the uniaxial perpendicular anisotropy originates at the film interfaces. In situ measurements indentified the strength of the uniaxial perpendicular anisotropy constant at the Fe/vacuum, Fe/Ag and Fe/Au interfaces asK _us = 0.96, 0.63, and 0.3 ergs/cm² respectively. The surface anisotropies deduced for [bulk Fe/noble metal] interfaces are in good agreement with the values obtained from ultrathin films. Hence the perpendicular surface ansiotropies originate in the broken symmetry at abrupt interfaces. An observed decrease in the cubic anisotropy in bcc Fe ultrathin films has been explained by the presence of a weak 4th order in-plane surface anisotropy,K _1S=0.012 ergs/cm². Fe/Ni bilayers were also investigated. Ni grew in the pure bcc structure for the first 3–6 ML and then transformed to a new structure which exhibited unique magnetic properties. Transformed ultrathin bilayers possessed large inplane 4th order anisotropies far surpassing those observed in bulk Fe and Ni. The large 4th order anisotropies originate in crystallographic defects formed during the Ni lattice transformation.     

Short range order at the surfaces of annealed amorphous Fe40Ni40P14B6 ribbons

Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) and gamma transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy were used to measure the effects of annealing at 583 K in vacuum into about 200 nm thick layer below the two surfaces and on the bulk of theFe ₄₀ Ni ₄₀ P ₁₄ B ₆ amorphous ribbons prepared by means of melt-spinning technique. The results show a large distribution of hyperfine magnetic fields on the bulk and in the surfaces of the samples. By means of selective analysis of hyperfine magnetic field distribution, we have evalueded the correlation between the different degree of short range orders at the surfaces and in the bulk of the samples, and the phosphorus segregation associated with mechanical cubrittlement induced at low annealing temperature.     

197Au Mössbauer study of Au/Ni and Au/Fe metallic superlattices

¹⁹⁷Au Mössbauer measurements have been performed for Au/Ni and Au/Fe metallic superlattices at below 75 K. For Au/Ni superlattices, the area ratio in a spectrum between a superlattice component and that of the pure Au buffer layer has been determined at 25, 50 and 75 K. From the area ratios, it is found that the recoil-free fraction of Au in Au(10 Å)/Ni(10 Å) is larger than that of the bulk Au, suggesting the existence of the supermodulus effect in this superlattice. The¹⁹⁷Au Mössbauer spectrum obtained from Au(5 Å)/Fe(8 Å) is entirely magnetic at 16 K, suggesting the existence of a magnetic hyperfine interaction at¹⁹⁷Au nuclei through the transferred electron spin polarization.     

First-principles calculations of electronic and magnetic properties of Ni3Pd and Pd3Ni

Results of first-principles calculations of the electronic structure for the ordered compounds Ni₃Pd and Pd₃Ni at the equilibrium volume with L1₂ structure reveal that the Ni atoms carry an enhanced moment and that an induced moment is found on the Pd atoms. The Ni moment is higher in Pd₃Ni, whereas the Pd moment differs only slightly for these compounds. Large bulk moduli are found (341.34 GPa for Ni₃Pd and 314.35 GPa for Pd₃Ni), and an abrupt collapse of the magnetic moment is observed in Pd₃Ni under lattice compression. The results indicate good conductivity for these compounds as well as half-metallicity for Ni₃Pd.     

Magnetic hyperfine fields in ultrathin Ni films on Cu(100)

The magnetic hyperfine field was measured at ¹¹¹In(¹¹¹Cd) probe atoms in ultrathin Ni films epitaxially grown on Cu(100) utilizing the perturbed -angular correlation (PAC) method. The behaviour of the hyperfine field as a function of temperature was studied for different film thicknesses ranging from 2 up to 10 monolayers. It was found that the strength of the hyperfine fields as well as the critical temperatures are strongly reduced for thin nickel films and approach the bulk value with increasing film thickness. The orientation of the hyperfine field is discussed.     

Microscopic properties of Co/Pd multilayers studied by ferromagnetic and nuclear magnetic resonance

The microscopic properties of Co/Pd multilayers were studied by ferromagnetic and nuclear magnetic resonance. The anisotropy of the layer is found to decrease for decreasing Co sublayer thickness and a switching of the magnetic preferential direction occurs below 8Å. The anisotropy is also a function of the Pd layer thickness: below 20Å it increases with decreasing thickness. This is attributed to a decrease in the Pd/Co interface contribution to the anisotropy. Hyperfine field spectra show the layers with [111] texture to be mainly polycrystalline fcc. The spectra shift to lower hyperfine fields upon decreasing Co sublayer thickness. This is attributed to a decrease in the magnetic moment caused by stretching of the Co lattice due to neighbouring Pd atoms. The results were checked by experiments on almost single phased [100] fcc Co/Pd multilayers. The similarity with the results on the [111] layers suggests that the expansion of the Co lattice is nearly isotropic.     

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.     

A study of the induced magnetic hyperfine fields in Fe/Ag multilayers

Near perpendicular magnetic hyperfine fields in ^110mAg have been observed in Fe/Ag multilayers. These fields are studied by low temperature nuclear orientation (LTNO) in multilayers [Ag(x ML)/Fe(y ML)]₂₀, with (x,y) monolayer (ML) values of (2,10), (3,9), (5,10) and (3,18). The ^110mAg γ-ray anisotropy was measured as a function of applied magnetic field parallel to the multilayer. The average induced hyperfine field of Ag is significantly influenced by the quality of the multilayer as measured by X-ray diffraction. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Time resolved magnetization dynamics of ultrathin Fe(001) films: spin-pumping and two-magnon scattering

The time-resolved magnetic response of ultrathin epitaxial Fe(001) films grown on GaAs(001) and covered by Au, Pd, and Cr capping layers was investigated by time and spatially resolved Kerr effect measurements. The magnetization was excited by an in-plane magnetic field pulse using the transient internal field generated at a Schottky barrier while the wavelength of the excitation (resonant mode) was roughly 4 microm. Each of the three cap layers affected the spin relaxation in a unique way. Au cap layers resulted in the bulk Gilbert damping of the Fe film. Pd cap layers caused an additional Gilbert damping due to spin-pump or spin-sink effects. Cr cap layers lead to a strong extrinsic damping which can be described by two-magnon scattering. In this case the strength of the extrinsic damping can be controlled by a field induced shift of the spin wave manifold with respect to the excited k vector.     

Theoretical investigations on the Stark-Zeeman effect of the 2p~{}^{\mathsf 2}P3/2-level in 6Li for perpendicularly crossed fields

The splitting behaviour of the P_3/2 hyperfine structure levels is investigated in ⁶Li for homogeneous crossed electric and magnetic fields (Stark-Zeeman effect). This is done by diagonalizing the perturbation matrix comprising the hyperfine interaction, the electronic and nuclear magnetic interaction and the effective electric interaction obtained by transforming the quadratic Stark effect to a first order perturbation interaction. Symmetries are used to find analytic formulae for level shifts and crossing points if only one external field is present. A reflection symmetry unbroken with all three interactions present permits the decomposition of the 12 ×12 matrix into two 6 ×6 submatrices. The structure of energy eigenvalue surfaces epsilon_{F,M F}(B,E) of the two subsystems is found by numeric diagonalization of the perturbation matrix and is displayed in the ranges |B|< 1 mT kV/cm. The total angular momentum F = J + I  (J = 3/2, electronic angular momentum, I = 1, nuclear spin) and the magnetic quantum number M_F provide labels for all surfaces. All crossing points of the energy surfaces have been found. Adiabatic level transfer occurring in atoms traversing a sequence of crossed magnetic and electric fields is explained. Berry phases occur for cycles around some crossing points. Their presence or absence is explained.     

A comparison of the magnetic anisotropy of [001] and [111] oriented Co/Pd Multilayers

Superlattices of [001]_fcc Co/Pd with varying Co thicknesses from one to eight atomic layers per modulation period were epitaxially grown on NaCl by vapour deposition in UHV. Transmission electron diffraction indicates lattice coherence between the Co and the Pd layers for Co thicknesses up to six atomic layers. If deposited at a substrate temperatureT _s=50°C, only the superlattices containing Ci-monolayers show perpendicular magnetization. By raisingT _s to 200°C, the perpendicular anisotropy for Co monolayers is increased, and is also observed for Co bilayers. We suggest that this is due tolayer smoothening, which increases Néel's interface anisotropy. For more than 6 atomic layers of Co a loss of coherence is observed atT _s=50°C, accompanied by a structure transformation to hcp Co with a (0001)_Co(111)_Pd orientation.Non-epitaxial polycrystalline [111]-multilayers have a different anisotropy versus thickness behaviour. For such multilayers the range of Co thicknesses giving perpendicular magnetization is extended from 8 Å up to 12 Å atT _s=200°C. The different behaviour of the single crystal [001] films is caused by a strong volume contribution to the anisotropy, which favours in-plane magnetization, opposing the perpendicular interface anisotropy. This easy-plane term is attributed to magneto-elastic anisotropy due to stretching of the Co layers, via a positive magnetostriction.     

Ferromagnetic resonance study of sputtered Co|Ni multilayers

We report on room temperature ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) studies of [ t Co|2t Ni]  × N sputtered films, where 0.1 ≤ t ≤ 0.6 nm. Two series of films were investigated: films with the same number of Co|Ni bilayer repeats (N = 12), and samples in which the overall magnetic layer thickness is kept constant at 3.6 nm (N = 1.2/t). The FMR measurements were conducted with a high frequency broadband coplanar waveguide up to 50 GHz using a flip-chip method. The resonance field and the full width at half maximum were measured as a function of frequency for the field in-plane and field normal to the plane, and as a function of angle to the plane for several frequencies. For both sets of films, we find evidence for the presence of first and second order anisotropy constants, K₁ and K₂. The anisotropy constants are strongly dependent on the thickness t, and to a lesser extent on the total thickness of the magnetic multilayer. The Landé g-factor increases with decreasing t and is practically independent of the multilayer thickness. The magnetic damping parameter α, estimated from the linear dependence of the linewidth ΔH, on frequency, in the field in-plane geometry, increases with decreasing t. This behaviour is attributed to an enhancement of spin-orbit interactions with decreasing Co layer thickness and in thinner films, to a spin-pumping contribution to the damping.     

Angular distributions of α particles emitted by oriented nuclei and their relation to nuclear deformation

Low-temperature spin orientation of radioactive nuclei is a nuclear spectroscopic method that allows us to obtain experimental data on nuclei and extranuclear fields. We present the results from measuring the angular anisotropy of α radiation emitted by transuranium nuclei of ^253,254Es, ²⁵⁵Fm, ^241,243Am, along with that of γ radiation from ²⁵⁰Bk nuclei oriented in an iron matrix at temperatures of 10–300 mK. The data allow us to establish the relation between the mechanism of α decay and nuclear deformation and to compare them to the theoretical data. We also measure the energy of magnetic hyperfine splitting for the investigated nuclei, and find the magnetic hyperfine field value for Es in Fe to be |B _hf | = 396(32) T. The nuclear magnetic moment for ²⁵⁴Es was determined, and its value was |μ(²⁵⁴Es)| = 4.35(41)μ _N .     

Dependence of the specific heat of a La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 superconducting single crystal on the magnetic field direction in the a-b plane

The low-temperature specific heat of a La_1.85Sr_0.15CuO₄ superconducting single crystal was investigated in magnetic fields up to 8 T and with four orientations — in the a-b plane (along the (100) and (110) directions) and at angles of 45° and 90° with respect to the a-b plane (along the (103) and (001) directions). Anisotropy was observed in the field dependence of the specific heat in the a-b plane. The specific heat was found to be minimum with the field oriented in the direction of the a axis and maximum with the field oriented in a direction making an angle of 45° with the a axis. This can be explained by the anisotropy of the energy gap, whose minimum lies along the (110) direction. For all orientations of the magnetic field the specific heat of the mixed state at low temperatures is a nonlinear function of the magnetic field strength. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 66, No. 11, 683–687 (10 December 1997)     

Hyperfine interactions in metal extracted from ordinary chondrite Tsarev L5: A study using Mössbauer spectroscopy with high-velocity resolution

For the first time, a study of hyperfine interactions in metal grains extracted from ordinary chondrite Tsarev L5 was done using Mössbauer spectroscopy with high-velocity resolution. Three magnetic (sextets) and one paramagnetic (singlet) components were revealed in the Mössbauer spectrum of extracted metal. The evaluated values of the magnetic hyperfine field were 332.5, 335.4 and 347.2 kOe. On the basis of Mössbauer parameters and metallographic data, the magnetic components were related to the α-Fe(Ni, Co), α′-Fe(Ni, Co) and α₂-Fe(Ni, Co) phases of Fe(Ni, Co) alloy, while the paramagnetic singlet was related to the γ-Fe(Ni, Co) phase.     

Mössbauer study of ultrafine FeF2 particles

Ultrafine antiferromagnetic FeF₂ particles (<10 nm) were prepared by a new technique, viz, the SF₆-sensitized infrared photodecomposition of Fe(CO)₅ induced by a transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO₂ laser. The magnetic properties have been examined by⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. At low temperatures the magnetic hyperfine field decreases faster with increasing temperature than the hyperfine field of the bulk; this behavior appears to be consistent with collective magnetic excitations. The transition between the paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic states takes place at a higher temperature and over a broader range as compared to the bulk. FeF₂ ultrafine particles are relatively sensitive to oxidation; cubic-type iron oxide is formed.     

Co/Cu multilayers studied by using the119Sn probe

To observe spin polarization in nonmagnetic layers sandwiched by magnetic layers,¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectra of [Co(20 Å)/Cu(20-x Å)/¹¹⁹Sn(1.5 Å)/Cu(x Å)] (x=0, 5 and 10) multilayers were measured. A magnetic fraction is observed in every spectrum, and the average hyperfine field ¯H _f at Sn nuclei in a Cu layer changes from 14 kOe (x=0) to 8 kOe (x=10). It was also observed that the polarization is greatly reduced by adding a Cr layer of only 2 Å to the Co/Cu interfaces. The spectrum of thex=10 film, measured under an external field of 30 kOe, cannot be interpreted without assuming magnetic fractions both in parallel and antiparallel to the external field, which indicates an oscillation of spin polarization in a Cu layer.     

Point-defect properties of and sputtering events in the {001} surfaces of Ni3Al I. Surface and point-defect properties

Constant-area and fully relaxed molecular dynamics methods are employed to study the properties of the surface and point defects at and near {001} surfaces of bulk and thin-film Ni, Al and Ni₃Al respectively. The surface tension is larger than the surface energy for all {001} surfaces considered in the sequence: Al (1005?mJ?m^?2)<?Ni₃Al (mixed Ni–Al plane outermost, 1725?mJ?m^?2)<?Ni₃Al (all-Ni-atoms plane outermost, 1969?mJ?m^?2)<?Ni (1993?mJ?m^?2). For a surface of bulk Ni₃Al crystal with a Ni–Al mixed plane outermost, Al atoms stand out by 0.0679?Å compared with the surface Ni atoms and, for the all-Ni-atoms surface, Al atoms in the second layer stand out by 0.0205?Å compared with Ni atoms in the same layer. Vacancy formation energies are about half the bulk values in the first layer and reach a maximum in the second layer where the atomic energy is close to the bulk value but the change in embedding energy of neighbouring atoms before and after vacancy formation is greater than that in the bulk. Both the vacancy formation energy and the surface tension suggest that the fourth layer is in a bulk state for all the surfaces. The formation energy of adatoms, antisite defects and point-defect pairs at and near {001} surfaces of Ni₃Al are also given.     

Mössbauer investigation of amorphous-to-crystalline transformation of Fe62Ni16B14Si8 by isothermal annealing

Room temperature transmission Mössbauer spectra of Fe₆₂Ni₁₆B₁₄Si₈ ribbons, annealed in vacuum for time periods ranging from 5 to 60 minutes at the crystallization temperatureT _x=720 K, have been used to investigate the crystallization mechanism by isothermal annealing. Reorientation of the magnetic anisotropy almost normal to the ribbon plane was observed and correlated to the annealing time dependence of the mean hyperfine field (HF) of the amorphous component. Crystallization started at the surface before the bulk and was found to occur in two steps: a metastable equilibrium of the amorphous phase with (FeNi), (FeNi)Si and t-(FeNi)₃B, followed by the decomposition of t-(FeNi)₃B into t-(FeNi)₂B and (FeNi). The increase of the mean magnetic moment at the Fe sites as compared to related iron-based alloys was attributed to compositional small Ni additions.