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.     

Magnetic properties of ultrathin Co films on Si (111)

Ultrathin cobalt films on clean (7×7) and Au covered Si (111) substrates were prepared by molecular beam epitaxy. The structure was studied by using scanning tunnelling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction. Magnetic properties were determined with the magneto-optic Kerr effect. It was found that Co nucleates in grains that prefer to grow along the bunched step edges of the Si substrate ([112?] direction), which induces a strong in-plane uniaxial anisotropy. By introducing Au buffer layers, the magnetic characteristics were improved by preventing the silicide reaction between Si and Co. Moreover, the tendency for step decoration disappears gradually results in the in-plane uniaxial anisotropy reduction.     

Magnetic and magnetoresistive properties of Fe10Ni90 films

We study the effect of the substrate temperature and the temperature and conditions of thermomagnetic treatment on the magnetic and electrical properties of Fe10Ni90 films deposited on single-crystal silicon substrates by ion-beam sputtering. The laws found to govern these properties are associated with the transformations of the microstructure of the films. The maximum magnetoresistance ratio is shown to occur in films deposited on slightly heated substrates and vacuum-annealed at about 500C. The coercive force, anisotropy field in the plane of the films, the density of bonds at domain walls, and the magnetoresistance ratio are determined as functions of the thickness.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 9–13, January, 1991.We thank E. I. Teitel and N. N. Schchegoleva for measuring the microstructure parameters of the films.     

Magnetic surface anisotropy of transition metal ultrathin films

In order to study the magnetic anisotropy of transition metal ultrathin films, we have performed tight-binding calculations including spin-orbit coupling. Beside the anisotropy energy these calculations also yield the orbital moment, which turns out to be much more anisotropic than in bulk materials. The effects of interfacial mismatch and roughness are discussed within phenomenological models. We also briefly review experimental results on the magnetic surface anisotropy (MSA) in transition metal ultrathin films. In some cases such as Au/Co/Au(111) sandwiches the MSA wins the competition with the shape anisotropy arising from the magnetostatic energy: below a critical thickness this leads to aperpendicular spontaneous magnetization. We show the effects of this crossover on the hysteresis loops and on the magnetoresistance, and the effects of interface roughness on the critical thickness.     

Magnetic properties of Fe and Ni films evaporated in poor vacuum

To examine the pressure dependence of magnetic characteristics of Fe and Ni films, the films were prepared in vacuum ranging from 10^–5 to 10^–2 torr.Saturation magnetizationM _s ^* , perpendicular anisotropyK ^* and coercive forceH _c for Fe and Ni films deposited at around 10^–5 torr were in good agreement with the values obtained by others. When the film thickness was less than 500 ,M _s ^* for Fe films increased with pressure, while it decreased monotonically for Ni films. At pressures between 2×10^–3 and 10^–2 torr,M _s ^* decreased rapidly for Fe but it increased slightly for Ni. This interesting behaviour was most marked with film thickness of about 500 . Corresponding to the change inM _s ^* , bothK ^* andH _c also changed with deposition pressure.The result should be explained in terms of the presence of Fe₄N, Fe₈N and Ni₃N, as well as the macroscopic and microscopic structures of films.     

Magnetic anisotropy axis reorientation at ultrathin FePt films

Ultrathin FePt films (thickness between 1 nm and 5 nm) were studied for non‐volatile memories applications. The films were magnetron sputtered on monocrystalline MgO?001? substrates at 500 °C. The films are polycrystalline, except the 1 nm thick film which is not continuous. It is shown that films with thickness higher than 2.7 nm have L1₀ structure and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, while a transition to in‐plane anisotropy occurs for thinner films. The out‐of‐plane coercivity drops from 16 kOe at the thicker film to 0.5 kOe at the thinner one.

Hysteresis cycles of FePt films as a function of film thickness.     

Charge-carrier transport properties of ultrathin Pb films

The charge-carrier transport properties of ultrathin metallic films are analysed with ab initio methods using the density functional theory (DFT) on free-standing single crystalline slabs in the thickness range between 1 and 8 monolayers and compared with experiments for Pb films on Si(111). A strong interplay between bandstructure, quantised in the direction normal to the ultrathin film, charge-carrier scattering mechanisms and magnetoconduction was found. Based on the bandstructure obtained from the DFT, we used standard Boltzmann transport theory in two dimensions to obtain results for the electronic transport properties of 2 to 8 monolayers thick Pb(111) slabs with and without magnetic field. Comparison of calculations and experiment for the thickness dependence of the dc conductivity shows that the dominant scattering mechanism of electrons is diffuse elastic interface scattering for which the assumption of identical scattering times for all subbands and directions, used in this paper, is a good approximation. Within this model we can explain the thickness dependences of the electric conductivity and of the Hall coefficient as well as the anomalous behaviour of the first Pb layer.Received: 19 September 2003, Published online: 8 December 2003PACS: 73.50.Jt Electronic transport phenomena in thin films: Galvanomagnetic and other magnetotransport effects - 73.61.At Electrical properties of specific thin films: Metals and metallic alloys - 73.20.At Electron states at surfaces and interfaces - 71.15.Mb Density functional theory     

Dielectric properties of ultrathin films of molecular crystals

Dielectric properties of thin films (TF) of molecular crystals, including the effect of size and the boundary surfaces were analysed using Green's function method. Polarisability of molecules in various film layers and dielectric susceptibility of TF were calculated. A comparison with crystal bulk has shown that dielectric properties of TF are strongly influenced both by the sample dimensions and by the boundary conditions.The frequency dependence of the dielectric susceptibility has also been derived. One obtains the monotonous variation for the frequencies above and below exciton band. However, for the frequencies within the exciton band there appears to be complicated, non-monotonous dependence. The relationship between the dielectric susceptibility and the film width for the same frequency shows a complex, oscillatory behaviour. Furthermore, the amplitude of these oscillations increases with increasing film width, demanding the introduction of a damping factor. Finally, the thickness dependence of dielectric susceptibility was analysed in the Cole-Cole plot.     

Magnetic properties of self-assembled nanostructure films on the base of amorphous Ni granules

We report on structural and magnetic properties of granular films consisting of 2.5 nm Ni nanoparticles. The films are fabricated by the original laser electrodispersion technique, which allows producing nearly monodisperse and amorphous particles. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) study shows that in 8 nm thickness films the particles are self-assembled in clusters with the lateral size 100-150 nm and the height of about 8 nm. Performed by SQUID, the films magnetization measurements reveal superparamagnetic behaviour, characteristic for an ensemble of non-interacting single domain magnetic particulates. It is found that the magnetic moment of the particulate is equal to that of about 3000 individual Ni nanoparticles and the blocking temperature is close to room temperature. Defined from magnetic measurements, the size of single domain particulates correlates well with the size of the clusters determined from AFM images. We propose that exchange interaction plays an important role in the formation of the particulates by aligning the magnetic moments of the individual Ni nanoparticles inside the clusters. Presence of magnetic clusters with high blocking temperature makes the fabricated films potentially useful for high-density magnetic data storage applications.     

Exchange bias on epitaxial Ni films due to ultrathin NiO layer

Exchange anisotropy refers to the effect that an antiferromagnetic (AF) layer grown in contact with a ferromagnetic (FM) layer has on the magnetic response of the FM layer. The most notable changes in the FM hysteresis loop due to the surface exchange coupling are a coercivity enhanced over the value typically observed in films grown on a nonmagnetic substrate, and a shift in the hysteresis loop of the ferromagnet away from the zero field axis. A typical observation is that the thickness of the antiferromagnet needs to exceed a critical value before exchange bias is observed. Here we report on the exchange bias properties observed in an epitaxial Ni/NiO system where a thin NiO layer forms spontaneously and is observed after annealing epitaxial Ni films MBE grown on MgO substrates.     

Stress and magnetic properties of surfaces and ultrathin films

Stress measurements with sub-monolayer sensitivity are performed to investigate the correlation between mechanical film stress and magneto-elastic anisotropy in epitaxial ferromagnetic monolayers. The magneto-elastic coupling B₁ of Fe(1 0 0) films is measured directly. Magnitude and sign of B₁ deviate from the respective bulk value. A strain-dependent correction of the magneto-elastic coupling coefficient B₁ describes the apparent thickness dependence of B₁ for film thicker than 10 nm. For thinner films, the possible contribution of surface corrections is discussed to explain the almost constant B₁. The implications of a modified magneto-elastic coupling for the anisotropy of ultrathin films is elucidated.     

Magnetic properties of ErN films

We report a magnetization study of stoichiometric ErN nanocrystalline films grown on Si and protected by a GaN passivating layer. According to the temperature dependence of the resistivity the films are heavily doped semiconductors. Above 100 K the magnetization data fit well to a Curie-Weiss behavior with a moment expected within the free-ion Er³⁺ multiplet. Below 50 K the Curie-Weiss plot steepens to an effective moment corresponding to that in the crystal-field determined quartet ground state, and develops a clear paramagnetic Curie-Weiss temperature of about 4.5 K. Zero-field- and field-cooled magnetization curves and the AC susceptibility firmly establish a ferromagnetic ground state within that multiplet below a Curie temperature of . Due to the (1 1 1) texture of the film the comparison between the magnetization behavior, when the field is applied parallel and perpendicular to the film plane, gives new information about the magnetic structure. An arrangement of the moments according to the model derived from neutron diffraction for bulk HoN is strongly suggested.     

有序组装超薄膜热释电性能的优化研究

报道两亲性染料半花菁(DAEP)与隔层材料氮冠醚(NC)交替LB膜的热释电效应以及掺杂金属离子（Ba2+）对LB膜热释电性能的影响.发现所测样品的热释电系数p高达58μCm-2K-1；在频率为1kHz—100kHz的范围内，其εr和tanδ的数值分别为2.34—1.96和0.08—0.04.并讨论了不同成膜方式和掺杂金属离子Ba2+对LB膜热释电性能影响的物理机理.     

Magnetic dipolar interaction in ultrathin films: Structural and size effects

A previously introduced formalism for calculating magnetic dipolar anisotropy energy ΔU in atomic layered structures is further developed. Numerical results are presented for ultrathin films with different close-packed (face centered cubic (FCC) [1 1 1]) and non-close-packed (FCC [0 0 1] and body centered cubic (BCC) [0 0 1]) structures. Structural effects become apparent in the magnetocrystalline dipolar anisotropy energy ΔU_L when the ratio between the interlayer separation c and the 2D lattice constant a is changed. Despite the long-range character of the dipolar interaction, it is shown that the number of significantly interacting layers, conventially called coupled layers, is limited and depends on the structural aspect ratio c/a. The slope in the observed linear dependence between ΔU_L and the inverse of the film thickness t is explained by the number of the so-called coupled layers, and not by a surface contribution to volume values. Size effects appearing in ΔU are unambiguously distinguished from structural effects. Effective anisotropy energy ΔU_eff and ΔU are presented for Co [0 0 0 1] and Ni [0 0 1] ultrathin films. It is verified that the dipolar interaction makes an important contribution to ΔU_eff, but the spin reorientation transition is determined by non-dipolar interactions. The former favors the magnetization switching only when the size aspect ratio d/t, with d the characteristic lateral dimension of the film, is sufficiently small. Applications to other layered arrays of magnetic dipoles are straightforward.