Magnetic excitations in ferromagnetic semiconductors

Magnetic excitations in a series of GaMnAs ferromagnetic semiconductor films were studied by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). Using the FMR approach, multi-mode spin wave resonance spectra have been observed, whose analysis provides information on magnetic anisotropy (including surface anisotropy), distribution of magnetization precession within the GaMnAs film, dynamic surface spin pinning (derived from surface anisotropy), and the value of exchange stiffness constant D. These studies illustrate a combination of magnetism and semiconductor physics that is unique to magnetic semiconductors.     

Transition of magnetic anisotropy in Ni/GaAs (0 0 1) observed by magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance

Polycrystalline thin Ni films deposited onto GaAs (0 0 1) show a transition of the magnetic anisotropy depending on its thickness. The anisotropy is perpendicular to the film plane for the thicknesses of the film ⩽12 nm. This becomes in-plane in the films having thicknesses ⩾15 nm. The films are deposited onto the n-type GaAs (0 0 1) substrate by the usual thermal evaporation method and also by the electron beam evaporation in ultra high vacuum onto a GaAs epilayer in the standard molecular beam epitaxy system. The magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) are observed in the temperature range from 4.2 to 300 K. For the discussion of the microscopic origin of the anomalous properties in magnetization and FMR experiments, the experimental results are reviewed by introducing a uniaxial anisotropy, which is calculated from the easy-axis and hard-axis magnetization data. This calculated anisotropy is able to explain the temperature and angle dependency of the FMR spectra of the Ni films. Hence the magnetization and FMR spectra are in agreement with the type of the anisotropy and its temperature dependency. In addition to these, the temperature dependence of the in-plane magnetic anisotropy is able to explain the previously reported anomalous effect of reducing the squareness at low temperatures in Ni/GaAs.     

FMR Studies of Ultra-Thin Epitaxial Pd<Subscript>0.92</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.08</Subscript> Film

Magnetic anisotropies of 20 nm epitaxial film of palladium–iron alloy Pd_0.92Fe_0.08 grown on the (001) MgO substrate were studied. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) were exploited to determine magnetic parameters of the film. It was found that the synthesized film reveals cubic anisotropy with tetragonal distortion. The simulated magnetic hysteresis loops, obtained utilizing the magnetic anisotropy constants taken from the FMR spectra analysis, agree well with those measured by VSM.     

Spin-wave resonances in a nonuniform bilayer iron-garnet film

Magnetic resonances are investigated in bilayer Bi-substituted iron garnet films, one layer of which possesses easy-axis and the other easy-plane anisotropy. The behavior of resonances as a function of film thickness, temperature, and annealing is studied. It is shown experimentally that the resonance absorption lines observed in such a nonuniform structure in an external magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the film plane correspond to ferromagnetic (FMR) and spin-wave (SWR) resonances. In addition, the SWR series is excited in the most nonuniform part of the film. A qualitative model explaining the experimental data and making it possible to obtain experimentally the profile of the effective-magnetic-anisotropy field throughout the thickness of the film is proposed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1452–1455 (August 1999)     

FMR Investigation of the Magnetic Anisotropy in Films Synthesized by Co<Superscript>+</Superscript> Implantation into Si

Thin ferromagnetic films with the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy were synthesized by Co⁺ implantation into single-crystal silicon in the magnetic field. It was concluded that the formation of the induced magnetic anisotropy is due to the directional atomic pair ordering (Neel–Taniguchi model). The synthesized films were studied by the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) method in the temperature range from 100 to 300 K. The FMR linewidth is almost independent of temperature, which is in agreement with the Raikher model describing the magnetic resonance of uniaxial magnetic particles. It is found that the temperature dependence of the anisotropy constant is linear. This dependence can be associated with the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of the Si (111) substrate and the ion-beam-synthesized cobalt silicide films.     

Ferromagnetic resonance and torsion magnetometry in oligatomic NiFe-films

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and torsion magnetometry were carried out on 60 Ni/40 Fe (111) oligatomic thin films (2.4≦D _M≦9.4 atomic layers) at temperatures between 123 K and 373 K. A comparative discussion of the results is given. Anisotropies of the films, determined by both methods, agree roughly. Approximately, they show a 1/D _M-dependence on the film thickness, as expected from an interpretation as surface anisotropy. FMR is shown to be a useful experimental tool for the investigation of oligatomic ferromagnetic films. Informations may be taken from the resonance field, line width, line shape and total absorbed microwave power. The magnetic moment must be taken from magnetometry.     

Determination of the magnetic cubic anisotropy field in (111) oriented films by FMR

The angular characteristics of the resonant field in films oriented in the (111) plane is analyzed using a resonance relation and a condition for equilibrium orientation of the magnetization. A method for determining a cubic anisotropy field from the azimuthal dependence of the FMR field, which eliminates the need to first find the crystallographic directions in the film by other methods, is proposed on the basis of the results obtained. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 35–40 (February 1997)     

A comparison of ferromagnetic resonance and magneto optical Kerr effect on thin Fe films on InAs(001)

A combination of STM, SQUID magnetometry, FMR and MOKE is used to study the structural and magnetic properties of thin iron films grown on InAs(001) (4×2)/c(8×2). The different magnetic characterization methods of this paper allow measurements of the magnetic anisotropies in the saturated and non-saturated state. Here we show results of a SQUID/FMR investigation on a 12 monolayer thick Fe film. As expected, FMR measurements find a four-fold symmetry of the magneto crystalline anisotropy, but with an additional uniaxial contribution. The dependence of the remanence on the magnetization angle computed from the magnetic parameters obtained in the saturated state is compared to experimental remanence data measured using MOKE. Good agreement is found. The InAs-substrate quality prior to growth, the nucleation behavior and the thickness-dependent granular structure of the Fe-layer are studied with STM. The origin of the magnetic anisotropies is discussed in terms of these structural data.     

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.     

Structure and properties of deposited yttrium iron garnet films

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and vibrating-sample magnetometer techniques were used to study the nature of the structural characteristics of yttrium iron garnet films deposited through either liquid phase epitaxy or laser evaporation on a (111)-oriented gallium gadolinium garnet substrate. It was proved that, based on the experimentally observed cubic magnetic anisotropy, deposited films should be considered to be single crystals. However, the absence of the FMR domain branch in a nonsaturated film and the shape of the magnetization curve indicate that a deposited film when demagnetized does not have a domain structure, as would be expected for a single-crystal film. According to the model proposed, a deposited film consists of close-packed single-crystal fragments with equal crystallographic orientation, the boundaries between which are in a partially atomically disordered state. As a result, such a film is both locally and macroscopically anisotropic, like a continuous single crystal. This film can split into domains only within a fragment (as is the case in a magnetic granular polycrystal); however, this does not happen, because the linear dimensions of a submicroscopic fragment are smaller than the equilibrium domain width.     

Effect of cubic magnetic anisotropy on angular dependences of the resonance field in (111)-oriented films

The angular dependences of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) field in (111)-oriented films are analyzed with the use of resonance relations and the conditions for equilibrium orientation of the magnetization. Based on the results obtained, an FMR method is proposed for determining the sign of the cubic anisotropy and the position of the crystallographic axes. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 118–120 (November 1998)     

Anisotropy characteristics in a Permalloy film induced by a nonuniform magnetic field

Inhomogeneities were observed for the first time in the magnetic structure of a thin Permalloy film, induced by a strongly nonuniform magnetic field applied in the plane of the substrate during fabrication of the samples. The films were obtained by vacuum deposition using a molecular-beam epitaxy system. A nonuniform field was created on the substrate using four samarium-cobalt magnets. The anisotropy of local sections of the samples was measured using a scanning-ferromagnetic-resonance spectrometer. A strong correlation was observed between the distribution of the magnitude and direction of the local magnetic anisotropy of the film and the magnetic-field distribution in the plane of the substrate. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1291–1293 (July 1998)     

Unusual characteristics of the spin-wave mechanism of domain-wall motion in iron-garnet films with orthorhombic magnetic anisotropy

The extraordinary dynamic properties of single-crystal iron garnet films with magnetic anisotropy in the plane of the film, specifically unidirectional anisotropy of the domain-wall velocity, are explained on the basis of a mechanism of domain-wall motion that incorporates local rotation of the magnetization vector ahead of the moving domain wall, induced by spin waves radiated from the wall and by anisotropy of the dissipative properties of the single-crystal iron garnet film in its plane. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1421–1427 (August 1997)     

Ferromagnetic resonance in multilayer [Fe/Cr]n structures with noncollinear magnetic ordering

The excitation spectrum in an [Fe/Cr]n multilayer structure with non-collinear magnetic ordering was studied by the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) method in the frequency interval 9.5–37 GHz at room temperature. Besides an acoustic branch, several additional modes were observed under parallel excitation of resonance. The FMR spectrum was calculated analytically in a biquadratic exchange model, neglecting in-plane anisotropy, for an infinite number of layers in the structure and numerically for a finite number of layers contained in real samples. It was shown that the observed modes correspond to excitation of standing spin waves with wave vectors perpendicular to the film plane. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 9, 690–695 (10 May 1998)     

Theoretical investigation of ferromagnetic resonance in a ferromagnetic thin film with external stress anisotropy

We use the ferromagnetic resonance(FMR)method to study the properties of ferromagnetic thin film,in which external stress anisotropy,fourfold anisotropy and uniaxial anisotropy are considered.The analytical expressions of FMR frequency,linewidth and the imaginary part of magnetic susceptibility are obtained.Our results reveal that the FMR frequency and the imaginary part of magnetic susceptibility are distinctly enhanced,and the frequency linewidth or field linewidth are broadened due to a strong external stress anisotropy field.The hard-axis and easy-axis components of magnetization can be tuned significantly by controlling the intensity and direction of stress and the in-plane uniaxial anisotropy field.     

Electrical and magnetic properties of CoFeAlO thin films

Influences of oxygen-partial pressure and annealing on the electrical and magnetic properties of CoFeAlO thin films were systematically investigated by means of resistivity, permeability, magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements. It was found that, with increasing oxygen-partial pressure or under annealing, the electrical resistivity of the film increased and the magnetic softness decreased, which is attributed to the microstructural change of the film. Interestingly, an as-deposited Co_45.30Fe_20.65Al_19.34O_14.71 film was found to exhibit an inverted hysteresis loop with negative coercivity, and this peculiar phenomenon disappeared upon effects of oxygen-partial pressure and annealing. It was also found that the as-deposited films owned a narrow FMR line width that increased with increasing oxygen-partial pressure or under annealing.     

Ferromagnetic resonance and bistability field in a uniaxial magnetic film

Peculiarities of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) corresponding to bias along the “hard” magnetic axis of a film with 2D uniaxial anisotropy are studied based on numerical solution of magnetic moment dynamics equations. It is shown that an additional resonance peak is formed in the FMR spectrum in the vicinity of “bistability field” H _b . The dependence of this field on the amplitude of the microwave field and damping parameters is analyzed.     

Anisotropy and dynamic properties of Co2MnGe Heusler thin films

Co₂MnGe films of 30 and 50 nm in thickness were grown by RF-sputtering. Their magnetic anisotropies, dynamic properties and the different excited spin wave modes have been studied using conventional ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and Microstrip line FMR (MS-FMR). From the in-plane and the out-of-plane resonance field values, the effective magnetization (4πM_eff) and the g-factor are deduced. These values are then used to fit the in-plane angular-dependence of the uniform precession mode and the field-dependence of the resonance frequency of the uniform mode and the first perpendicular standing spin wave to determine the in-plane uniaxial, the four-fold anisotropy fields, the exchange stiffness constant and the magnetization at saturation. The samples exhibit a clear predominant four-fold magnetic anisotropy besides a smaller uniaxial anisotropy. This uniaxial anisotropy is most probably induced by the growth conditions.     

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.     

Growth processes, structure, and intergrain magnetic interaction in electrolytically deposited CoW films

This paper discusses the formation of columnar microstructure and the associated variations of the magnetic characteristics of electrolytically deposited CoW films with in-plane magnetic anisotropy. It is shown that the nature of the intergrain magnetic interaction is determined by the concentration of the products of the electrode reactions, their distribution in the film, the structure of the intercrystallite boundaries, and also the thickness and texture of the films. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 894–897 (May 1997)