La<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films on SrTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and CaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> buffered Si substrates: structural,static, and dynamic magnetic properties

Nearly 50-nm thick La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) films were grown on Si substrates using molecular beam epitaxy on (001) Si substrates over-layered by a 20 nm thick SrTiO₃ (STO) or by a 20 nm thick CaTiO₃ (CTO) film. In addition, a reference LSMO film was directly deposited on a (001) STO substrate by pulsed laser deposition. For all the samples, X-ray diffraction revealed an excellent epitaxy of the LSMO film and small mosaicity around (001), with in-plane [100] and [010] cubic axes. The LSMO/CTO films are in-plane compressed while the LSMO/STO ones are in-plane extended. The temperature dependence of their static magnetic properties was studied using a SQUID, showing a Curie temperature overpassing 315 K for all the samples. Hysteresis loops performed at room temperature (294 K) with the help of a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) are also discussed. At 294 K Micro-strip ferromagnetic resonance (MS-FMR) was used to investigate the dynamic magnetic properties. It allows concluding to a strong anisotropy perpendicular to the films and to a weak fourfold in-plane anisotropy with easy axes along the [110] and [1[`1]0 1\bar{1}0 ] directions. Their values strongly depend on the studied sample and are presumably related to the strains suffered by the films.     

Coulomb blockade electrometer with a high-T c island

We report on a successful attempt to fabricate a Coulomb blockade electrometer consisting of an ultrasmall YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (YBCO) island coupled to two gold electrodes through a high-resistance native surface tunnel barrier. A third electrode placed near the island was used as an electrostatic gate. Spectra typical for tunneling into the YBCO superconductor were reproducibly measured. At temperatures below 0.5 K the low-bias conductance was suppressed by the Coulomb blockade. The blockade could be periodically varied by the gate potential. An external magnetic field of up to 5 T strongly influenced the transport via the island but without any change in the period of the Coulomb oscillations. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 2, 112–117 (25 January 1996) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Influence of the laser wavelength on the epitaxial growth and electrical properties of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 films grown by excimer laser-assisted MOD

Epitaxial La_1−xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO) films were prepared by excimer laser-assisted metal organic deposition (ELAMOD) at a low temperature using ArF, KrF, and XeCl excimer lasers. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) observations confirmed the epitaxial growth and homogeneity of the LSMO film on a SrTiO₃ (STO) substrate, which was prepared using ArF, KrF, and XeCl excimer lasers. It was found that uniform epitaxial films could be grown at 500 °C by laser irradiation. When an XeCl laser was used, an epitaxial film was formed on the STO substrate at a fluence range from 80 to 140 mJ/cm² of the laser fluence for the epitaxial growth of LSMO film on STO substrate was changed. When the LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrate was used, an epitaxial film was only obtained by ArF laser irradiation, and no epitaxial film was obtained using the KrF and XeCl lasers. When the back of the amorphous LSMO film on an LAO substrate was irradiated using a KrF laser, no epitaxial film formed. Based on the effect of the wavelength and substrate material on the epitaxial growth, formation of the epitaxial film would be found to be photo thermal reaction and photochemical reaction. The maximum temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the epitaxial La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ film on an STO substrate grown using an XeCl laser is 4.0%/K at 275 K. XeCl lasers that deliver stabilized pulse energies can be used to prepare LSMO films with good a TCR.     

Influence of microstructures on exchange bias behaviors of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/La0.33Ca0.67MnO3 bilayers

Ferromagnetic La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) and antiferromagnetic La_0.33Ca_0.67MnO₃ (LCMO) layers were grown on SrTiO₃ (STO) substrates by the pulsed laser deposition technique. LSMO films had rougher surfaces and larger grain sizes than LCMO films. Fully strained bilayers, in which each layer was as thin as 10 nm, were prepared by changing their stacking sequences, i.e. LSMO/LCMO/STO and LCMO/LSMO/STO. The former had higher T_C (350 K) than the latter (300 K), and exchange bias effects were only observed in the former bilayers. This revealed that microstructures could play an important role in the transport and magnetic properties of manganese oxide thin films.     

Size-dependent single electron tunneling effect in Au nanoparticles

We investigated single electron tunneling (SET) behavior of dodecanethiol-coated Au nanoparticles of two different sizes (average sizes are 5 nm and 2 nm) using nanogap electrodes, which have a well-defined gap size, at various temperatures. The Coulomb staircases and the Coulomb gap near-zero bias voltage caused by the suppression of the tunneling electrons due to the Coulomb blockade effect were observed in the current-voltage (I-V) curves of both sizes of nanoparticles at a low temperature (10 K). At room temperature, the Coulomb gap was observed only in the I-V curve of the smaller nanoparticles. This result indicates that the charging energy of the smaller nanoparticles is enough to overcome the thermal energy at room temperature. This suggests that it is possible to operate the SET devices at room temperature using the smaller nanoparticles as a Coulomb island.     

Synthesis and characterization of CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>–Ba<Subscript>0.9</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> magnetoelectric composites with dielectric and magnetic properties

Composite structures consisting of (001)-oriented SrTiO₃ (STO)/La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) films of 30 nm thickness, grown on an (001) Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)TiO₃– 28 mol.% PbTiO₃ piezoelectric relaxor-ferroelectric single-crystalline wafer were investigated by means of Wide-Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXRD) in situ under influence of a d.c. electric field with strength E up to ±18 kV/cm. The WAXRD measurements of the films and substrate reflection profiles resulted in a determination of the strain s in the films and the substrate separately. The strained state of the STO/LSMO films is effectively controlled by a huge converse piezoelectric effect of the PMN-PT substrate. The coefficients of coupling between electric-field-induced out-of-plane strain in the films and in the substrate for the composite system STO/LSMO/PMN-PT are obtained.     

The structure and magnetotransport properties of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/Ba(La)TiO3 composites

The effect of Ba(La)TiO₃ doping on the structure and magnetotransport properties of La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃(LSMO)/xBa(La)TiO₃ (x=0.0, 1.0, 5.0 mol%) have been investigated. The X-ray diffraction patterns and microstructural analysis show that BaTiO₃ and LSMO phases exist independently in BaTiO₃-doped composites. The metal-insulator transition temperature (T_MI) decreases whereas the maximum resistivity increases very quickly by the increase of BaTiO₃ doping level. The partial substitution of Ba by La(0.35 mol%) results in a decrease in resistivity of LSMO/xBa(La)TiO₃ composites. Magnetoresistance of BaTiO₃-doped composites decreases monotonously in the temperature range 200-400 K in a magnetic field of 5 T, which is completely different from that of LSMO compound. The value of MR decreases at low field (H<1 T) and increases at high fields (H>1 T) with increasing the BaTiO₃ doping level at low temperatures below 280 K. These investigations reveal that the magnetotransport properties of LSMO/xBa(La)TiO₃ composites are dominated by spin-dependent scattering and tunneling effect at the LSMO/BaTiO₃/LSMO magnetic tunnel junction.     

Enhanced magnetoresistance in La0.82Sr0.18MnO3-π-conjugated semiconducting polymer heterostructure

We report a large enhancement (∼90%) in magnetoresistance in La_0.82Sr_0.18MnO₃ (LSMO) layers by incorporating a π-conjugated semiconducting polymer layer in between them. The epitaxial LSMO layers were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on SrTiO₃ single crystal substrates and have FM transition temperature (T_C)∼310 K. A semiconducting polymer poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) layer was deposited over the epitaxial LSMO layer by solution dip coating technique and with subsequent deposition of another epitaxial LSMO layer, forming a LSMO-P3OT-LSMO heterostructure. The effect of P3OT incorporation on magnetotransport properties of this heterostructure has been examined in the temperature range 77-350 K. Large MR enhancement observed near room temperature in the FM regime is explained in terms of efficient magnetic field dependent carrier injection at LSMO/P3OT interface.     

Strain relaxation in the epitaxy of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 grown by pulsed-laser deposition on SrTiO3(001)

With a Curie point at 370?K, the half-metal (La_0.7Sr_0.3)MnO₃ (LSMO) is one of the most interesting candidates for electronic devices based on tunnel magnetoresistance. SrTiO₃ (STO) is up to now the best substrate for the epitaxy of suitable thin films of LSMO. The pseudocubic unit cell of rhombohedral LSMO has a parameter a _LSMO such that (a _STO ? a _LSMO)/a _LSMO = +?0.83% (where a _STO is the parameter of cubic STO) and an angle of 90.26°. As strained growth is tetragonal, relaxation implies recovery of both the pseudocubic parameter and of the original angle. In the LSMO layers that we prepare by pulsed-laser deposition, we show that these two processes are quite independent. The angular distortion is partially recovered by twinning in films 25?nm thick, while recovery of the parameter never occurs in the thickness range that we explored (up to 432?nm). A relaxation, however, takes place above a thickness of 100?nm, associated with a transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional columnar growth. It is accompanied by chemical fluctuations. Our magnetic measurements exhibit Curie temperatures and magnetic moments very close to the bulk values in those layers where the crystal parameter is strained but the angle partially relaxed.     

Photocarrier injection and the I-V characteristics of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3/SrTiO3:Nb heterojunctions

Oxide heterojunctions made of p-type La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ (LSMO) and niobium-doped n-type SrTiO₃ (STO:Nb) have been fabricated by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique and characterized under UV light irradiation by measuring the current-voltage, photovoltaic properties and the junction capacitance. It is shown that the heterojunctions work as an efficient UV photodiode, in which photogenerated holes in the STO:Nb substrate are injected to the LSMO film. The maximum surface hole density Q/e and external quantum efficiency γ are estimated to be 8.3×10¹² cm⁻² and 11% at room temperature, respectively. They are improved significantly in a p-i-n junction of LSMO/STO/STO:Nb, where Q/e and γ are 3.0×10¹³ cm⁻² and 27%, respectively.     

Magnetic anisotropy of strained epitaxial manganite films

The in-plane magnetic anisotropy of epitaxial La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) films is studied at room temperature by the following three independent techniques: magnetooptical Kerr effect, ferromagnetic resonance at a frequency of 9.61 GHz, and recording of absorption spectra of electromagnetic radiation at a frequency of 290.6 MHz. The films are deposited onto NdGaO₃ (NGO) substrates in which the (110)NGO plane is tilted at an angle of 0–25.7° to the substrate plane. The uniaxial magnetic anisotropy induced by the strain of the film is found to increase with the tilt angle of the (110)NGO plane. A model is proposed to describe the change in the magnetic anisotropy energy with the tilt angle. A sharp increase in the radio-frequency absorption in a narrow angular range of a dc magnetic field near a hard magnetization axis is detected The anisotropy parameters of the LSMO films grown on (110)NGO, (001)SrTiO₃, and (001)[(LaAlO₃)_0.3 + (Sr₂AlTaO₆)_0.7] substrates are compared.     

Controlling the charging energy of arrays of tunnel junctions

We describe a new technique to control in situ charging energy of systems of coupled metallic or superconducting islands. To illustrate the technique, we have fabricated two-dimensional arrays of Al islands on GaAs/AlAs heterostructures. Each island is coupled to its nearest-neighbor by a submicron Al/AlO_x/Al tunnel junction and to the three-dimensional electron gas (3DEG) located below the surface of the heterostructure by a capacitance C_g. We vary C_g, which dominates the charging energy of the array, by depleting the electrons in the 3DEG by means of a negative voltage applied to the array. With the array driven normal by a magnetic field, a decrease in C_g increases in both the offset voltage and the period of the Coulomb blockade oscillations.     

Preparation of the La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 films on STO and LAO substrates by excimer laser-assisted metal organic deposition using the KrF laser

La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ films were prepared on SrTiO₃ (STO) and LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrates using excimer laser-assisted metal organic deposition (ELAMOD). For the LAO substrate, no epitaxial La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ film was obtained by laser irradiation in the fluence range from 60 to 110 mJ/cm² with heating at 500 °C. On the other hand, an epitaxial La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ film on the STO substrate was formed by laser irradiation in the fluence range from 60 to 100 mJ/cm² with heating at 500 °C. To optimize the electrical properties for an IR sensor, the effects of the laser fluence, the irradiation time and the film thickness on the temperature dependence of the resistance and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR: defined as 1/R·(dR/dT)) of the LSMO films were investigated. An LSMO film on the STO substrate that showed the maximum TCR of 3.9% at 265 K was obtained by the ELAMOD process using the KrF laser.     

Influence of electromagnetic fluctuations on the resonant tunneling of electrons

We have considered the influence of electromagnetic fluctuations on electron tunneling via one non-degenerate resonant level, the problem that is relevant for electron transport through quantum dots in the Coulomb blockade regime. We show that the overall effect of the fluctuations depends on whether the electron bands in external electrodes are empty or filled. In the empty band case, depending on the relation between the tunneling rate Γ and characteristic frequency Ω of the fluctuations, the field either simply shifts the conductance peak (for rapid tunneling, Γ Ω) or broadens it (for Γ Ω). In the latter case, the system can be in three different regimes for different values of the coupling g between electrons and the field. Increasing interaction strength in the region g < 1 leads to gradual suppression of the conductance peak at the bare energy of the resonant level ε₀, while at g 1 it leads to the formation of a new peak of width at the energy ε₀ + E_cis a charging energy. For intermediate values of g the conductance is non-vanishing in the entire energy range from ε₀ to ε₀ + E_c. For filled bands the problem is essentially multi-electron in character. One consequence of this is that, in contrast to the situation with the empty band, the fluctuations of the resonant level do not suppress conductance at resonance for g < 1. At g> 1 a Coulomb gap appears in the position of the resonant level as a function of its bare energy which leads to suppression of conductance.     

Single electron charging effects in semiconductor quantum dots

We have studied charging effects in a lateral split-gate quantum dot defined by metal gates in the two dimensional electron gas (2 DEG) of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. The gate structure allows an independent control of the conductances of the two tunnel barriers separating the quantum dot from the two 2 DEG leads, and enables us to vary the number of electrons that are localized in the dot. We have measured Coulomb oscillations in the conductance and the Coulomb staircase in current-voltage characteristics and studied their dependence on the conductances of the tunnel barriers. We show experimentally that at zero magnetic field charging effects start to affect the transport properties when both barrier conductances are smaller than the first quantized conductance value of a point contact at 2e ²/h. The experiments are described by a simple model in terms of electrochemical potentials, which includes both the discreteness of the electron charge and the quantum energy states due to confinement.     

Field-emission-induced electromigration method for the integration of single-electron transistors

We report a simple and easy method for the integration of planar-type single-electron transistors (SETs). This method is based on electromigration induced by a field emission current, which is so-called “activation”. The integration of two SETs was achieved by performing the activation to the series-connected initial nanogaps. In both simultaneously activated devices, current-voltage (I_D-V_D) curves displayed Coulomb blockade properties, and Coulomb blockade voltage was also obviously modulated by the gate voltage at 16 K. Moreover, the charging energy of both SETs was well controlled by the preset current in the activation.     

Modulation of ultrafast laser-induced magnetization precession in BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-coated La<Subscript>0.67</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.33</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films

The ultrafast laser-excited magnetization dynamics of ferromagnetic (FM) La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ (LSMO) thin films with BiFeO₃ (BFO) coating layers grown by laser molecular beam epitaxy are investigated using the optical pump-probe technique. Uniform magnetization precessions are observed in the films under an applied external magnetic field by measuring the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. The magnetization precession frequencies of the LSMO thin films with the BFO coating layers are lower than those of uncoated LSMO films, which is attributed to the suppression of the anisotropy field induced by the exchange interaction at the interface between the antiferromagnetic order of BFO and the FM order of LSMO.     

硅量子点中电子的荷电动力学特征

利用频率依赖电容谱的测量,对于SiO₂/硅量子点/SiO₂/硅衬底隧 穿电容中硅量子点的荷电特征进行了研究.由于量子点的极小尺寸和良好的均匀性,室温下 在强反型区成功地观察到了与单电子隧穿相关的两个电容和电导共振峰,它们分别对应于硅 衬底导带上的电子与量子点中第一与第二个基态之间直接隧穿过程.实验数据分析给出了量 子点中的库仑荷电能,并进行了讨论. 关键词： 量子点 电容谱 库仑荷电能 直接隧穿     

La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/BaTiO3复合薄膜的制备及其电致磁电效应研究

使用脉冲激光沉积技术,在LaAlO₃(001)单晶基片上制备了La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃(LSMO)/BaTiO₃(BTO)双层薄膜.X射线衍射分析显示,LSMO层和BTO层呈现纯(001)取向.原子力显微镜研究表明,薄膜表面晶粒大小均匀,排列致密,表面均方根粗糙度为1.4 nm.复合薄膜的磁学、电学性能研究表明,其具有良好的磁学和介电性能.电输运测试显示,与在BTO层上施加正方向 关键词： 磁电效应 铁电/铁磁异质结构 脉冲激光沉积     

Structure and magnetic properties of CrN thin films on La0.67Sr0.33MnO3

High crystalline quality CrN thin films have been grown on La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ (LSMO) templates by molecular beam epitaxy. The structure and magnetic properties of CrN/LSMO heterojunctions are investigated combining with the experiments and the first-principles simulation. The Nėel temperature of the CrN/LSMO samples is found to be 281 K and the saturation magnetization of CrN/LSMO increases compared to that of LSMO templates. The magnetic property of CrN/LSMO heterostructures mainly comes from Cr atoms of (001) CrN and Mn atoms of (001) LSMO. The (001) LSMO induces and couples the spin of the CrN sublattice at CrN/LSMO interface.