Spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of the MgO/Fe(110) system

The surface structure and electronic properties of ultrathin MgO layers grown on epitaxial Fe(110) films were investigated at room temperature by means of electron diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The spin polarization at the Fermi level (E_F) of the Fe(110) film decreases sharply with increasing thickness of the MgO layer. This behavior arises from the formation of a thin FeO layer at the MgO(111)/Fe(110) interface, as revealed by structural and spectroscopic investigations. The strong attenuation of the intrinsic spin polarization is qualitatively attributed to the scattering of spin-polarized electrons at the unoccupied d-orbitals of Fe²⁺. PACS 68.35.-p; 68.55.-a; 73.20.r; 75.70.Cn; 79.60.-I     

Magnetic properties of Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> surface

The magnetic properties of the magnetite Fe₃O₄(110) surface have been studied by spin resolved Auger electron spectroscopy (SRAES). Experimental spin resolved Auger spectra are presented. The results of calculation of Auger lines polarization carried out on the basis of electronic state density are presented. Problems related to magnetic moments of bivalent (Fe²⁺) and trivalent (Fe³⁺) ions on the Fe₃O₄(110) surface are discussed. It is established that the deposition of a thin bismuth film on the surface results in significant growth of polarization of iron Auger peaks, which is due to additional spin-orbit scattering of electrons by bismuth atoms.     

Local spin polarization at surfaces probed by hollow atoms

The relaxation of hollow atoms produced by slow multiply charged ions impinging on surfaces produces characteristic Auger electron spectra. These spectra, which serve as fingerprints of the interaction, can be used to probe local spin ordering at surfaces by relating changes in the intensities of different spin states to local spin polarization at the surface. The area from which the electrons are captured is of the order of a few Angstrom(2), only. The potential of the method is illustrated by He(2+) and N(6+) ions interacting with a ferromagnetic Ni(110) crystal. From the Auger spectra we determine a spin polarization of approximately 90% at room temperature.     

Observation of a high spin polarization of secondary electrons from single crystal Fe and Co

The spin polarization of secondary electrons with nearly zero kinetic energy from Fe (100) and Co (10$\text{1}$0), excited with photons of energy between 20 and 60 eV, was found to be 45%±5% for Fe and 35%±5% for Co. This value is higher than the average valence band spin polarization P_b=n_b/n=2.2/8=27% and 1.7/9=19% for Fe and Co, respectively. With increasing kinetic energy, the spin polarization of the secondaries decreases to the value of P_b within the first 5 eV, remaining constant (within statistical error) at higher kinetic energies. As a spin dependent scattering process we propose excitations within the d-bands, which can be shown to be asymmetric with respect to the electron spin. The high net spin polarization of the slowest emitted electrons is obtained by filtering out monitory-spin electrons at the vacuum barrier.     

Direct observation of the electron spin relaxation induced by nuclei in quantum dots

We have studied the electron spin relaxation in semiconductor InAs/GaAs quantum dots by time-resolved optical spectroscopy. The average spin polarization of the electrons in an ensemble of p-doped quantum dots decays down to 1/3 of its initial value with a characteristic time T(Delta) approximately 500 ps, which is attributed to the hyperfine interaction with randomly oriented nuclear spins. We show that this efficient electron spin relaxation mechanism can be suppressed by an external magnetic field as small as 100 mT.     

Surface magnetism: From the spin-resolved density of states to magnetic domain imaging on the nanometer scale

Making use of the information depth of only a few layers for electrons with low kinetic energies, photoemission experiments, with an additional measurement of the electron spin polarization or with excitation using circularly polarized radiation, allow one to determine whether adatoms change the magnetic properties at the surface and whether they “feel” the magnetism of the underlying substrate. This is investigated for oxygen adsorbed on Fe (110) and Co (0001). Enhanced surface sensitivity can be gained in tunneling experiments. The technique of spin-polarized metastable de-excitation spectroscopy thus enables one to determine the spin-resolved density of states in the near-surface region. By making the highly lateral resolving scanning tunneling microscope sensitive to the electron spin polarization it becomes possible to image magnetic domains on the nanometer scale; this is demonstrated for Gd (0001) surfaces. Received: 28 April 2000 / Accepted: 4 September 2000 / Published online: 7 March 2001     

Gate control of dynamic nuclear polarization in GaAs quantum wells

Gate control of dynamic nuclear polarization under optical orientation is demonstrated in a Schottky-gated n-GaAs/AlGaAs (110) quantum well by time-resolved Kerr rotation measurements. Spin relaxation of electrons due to mechanisms other than the hyperfine interaction is effectively suppressed as the donor induced background electron density is reduced from metallic to insulating regimes. Subsequent accumulation of photoexcited electron spins dramatically enhances dynamic nuclear polarization at low magnetic field, allowing us to tune nuclear spin polarization by external gate voltages.     

Spin Noise Spectroscopy in N-GaAs:Spin Relaxation of Localized Electrons

Spin noise spectroscopy(SNS) of electrons in n-doped bulk GaAs is studied as functions of temperature and the probe-laser energy. Experimental results show that the SNS signal comes from localized electrons in the donor band. The spin relaxation time of electrons, which is retrieved from the SNS measurement, depends on the probe light energy and temperature, and it can be ascribed to the variation of electron localization degree.     

Spin orientation of electrons by unpolarized light pulses in low-symmetry quantum wells

The spin dynamics of electrons in low-symmetry quantum wells (QWs) under conditions of interband excitation by ultrashort unpolarized light pulses is investigated. It is shown that after the transmission, spin polarization appears in the system after a time comparable with the electron momentum relaxation time for an electron pulse and then vanishes. The microscopic theory of spin orientation of electrons by optical pulses carrying zero angular momentum is developed for asymmetric QWs grown from semiconductors with the zinc blende lattice along the [110] crystallographic direction. Pumping with unpolarized light in such structures in the normal incidence geometry induces a spin in the QW plane along the [1[`1]0][1\bar 10] axis.     

Spin polarized tunneling at finite bias

A mesoscopic spin valve is used to determine the dynamic spin polarization of electrons tunneling out of and into ferromagnetic (FM) transition metals at finite voltages. The dynamic polarization of electrons tunneling out of the FM slowly decreases with increasing bias but drops faster and even inverts with voltage when electrons tunnel into it. A free-electron model shows that in the former case electrons originate near the Fermi level of the FM with large polarization whereas in the latter, electrons tunnel into hot electron states for which the polarization is significantly reduced. The change in sign is ascribed to the matching of the electron wave function inside and outside the tunnel barrier.     

Calculation of electron-spin polarization in photoemission from Au(110)

We have calculated the spin polarization of electrons photoemitted by circularly polarized light from Au(110). Results for the spin polarization of the angular resolved photoyield are given for clean and contaminated surfaces for photon energies ?Ω up to 10 eV. In addition we calculated the spectrum for energy resolved photoelectrons for $\text{?Ω = 8.5 eV}$. Our calculations demonstrate that from an analysis of the spin polarization of energy resolved photoelectrons detailed information on the electronic structure of solids follows.     

Transmission of electrons through ferromagnetic material and applications to detection of electron spin polarization

The salient features of the total low energy inelastic electron scattering cross section in transition metals are described by a constant term σ₀ plus a term σ_d that is proportional to the number of unoccupied d-orbitals. This simple model predicts that low energy electrons transmitted through a ferromagnetic ultrathin film acquire a transport spin polarization a(χ). Using the ratio σ₀/σ_d as the only adjustable parameter, the model predicts the enhancement of the spin polarization of the low energy cascade electrons as well as a(χ) in reasonable agreement with the existing observations on Fe, Co and Ni. A detector for electron spin polarization P based on the spin dependent transmission of electrons through ferromagnetic material is proposed which should be superior to existing P-detectors by 1–2 orders of magnitude.     

Studies of novel magnetic systems by electron capture spectroscopy (ECS)

The electron spin polarization (ESP) at surfaces of bulk and artificially structured, thin film magnetic materials is studied using electron capture spectroscopy (ECS) and ion-induced emission of spin-polarized electron. For V and Tb surfaces, it is found that the temperature dependence of the surface magetic order is quite different from that of the bulk. For ultra-thin magnetic superlattices, V(100)/Ag(100) and Tb (0001)/W(110), we find novel magnetic surface anisotropies and critical behavior. At surfaces of 5 monolayers V(100) on Ag(100), the critical behavior of the surface-ESP is found to be identical to that of the two-dimensional Ising ferromagnet. At surfaces of PtMnSb and Fe₈₀B₂₀, we findnonzero ESP due to long-ranged or short-ranged ferromagnetic order. Thesign of the ESP at surfaces of the Heusler alloy PtMnSb is in agreement with recent band structure calculations. At surfaces of the spin glass Fe₈₀B₂₀, we find, in agreement with ECS data, that the ESP ofion-induced emitted spin-polarized electrons is extremely sensitive to the cleanness of thetopmost surface layer.     

Surface magnetism of iron on W(110)

Ultrathin bcc iron films grown epitaxially on W(110) have been investigated by means of angle and spin resolving photoelectron spectroscopy. The electron spin polarization, spin resolved intensities and corresponding band structure have been experimentally investigated in dependence of the film thickness, exciting photon energy and variation of the photoelectron detection angle. Additionally, photoemission calculations for bulk iron have been performed in the framework of a relativistic one-step formalism. The comparison between measured and calculated spectra turns out to be in very good agreement for different excitation energies as well as for different angles of emission.     

Capture of polarized electrons into excited atomic states in grazing scattering from a magnetized Ni(110) surface

The spin polarization of electrons captured into excited atomic levels of atoms during the scattering of fast ions from a magnetized Ni(110) surface under a grazing angle of incidence is deduced from the polarization of the fluorescence light. In our studies we have investigated the dependence of the spin polarization on projectile velocity and angle of incidence and observed generally small polarizations for captured electrons.     

A spin-polarized internal conversion coefficients computation for iron

The effect of electron spin polarization in the Fe atom has been introduced in an internal conversion (IC) computation. Two different models for the IC process have been used, but the results show no dependence on the model. The effect of spin polarization is larger than other corrections normally made in IC calculations. The ratio of the partial IC coefficient to the electron density at the nucleus has been studied for all shells in the Fe atom and all possible final states. This ratio has been found to be the same for electrons with equal initial angular momentum.     

Spin-resolved photoemission study of in situ grown epitaxial Fe layers on W(110)

Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of in situ grown epitaxial Fe layers on W(110) shows bulk-like behavior for more than two atomic Fe layers. For about ten and more atomic layers of Fe we find a spin polarization to be about -100% near the Fermi energy and +80 % between 1 eV and 3 eV binding energy. For the bilayer of Fe drastic changes in the spin-resolved spectra and a 20 % enhancement of the spin polarization compared to the bulk value are observed. The monolayer of Fe is ferromagnetically ordered with a spin polarization reduced by about 50%. A switching of the easy magnetization axis from [001] to [11&#x0304;0] is observed in the spin polarization with decreasing Fe layer thickness near d = (65±5) Å.     

Analysis of the spin polarization of secondary electrons emitted from Au/Fe

The spin polarization of secondary electrons emitted from Au thin films on an Fe substrate is studied with a Monte Carlo simulation of electron scattering. The magnetic information depth of the secondary electrons is estimated by fitting the exponential function to the calculated data and we found that the magnetic information depth increases with the primary electron energy from 11.5 at 0.3 to 26.3 Å at 4 keV. This result agrees fairly with the experimental one for the same nonmagnetic/magnetic bilayer system and it is much larger than that reported so far for bulk magnetic materials.     

Positive spin polarization in field emission from Ni (110) and demagnetization by hydrogen adsorption

The spin polarization of field-emitted electrons from the (110)-surface of ferromagnetic Ni was observed to be P = (+ 5 ± 2)% (majority spin electrons predominant). This result can be understood qualitatively in the framework of the Stoner-Wohlfarth-Slater model, using hybridized s-d bands. Adsorption of hydrogen (saturation coverage) was found to reduce the spin polarization of electrons emitted along [110] to P (H₂) = (+ 1 ± 2)%, suggesting a demagnetization of the (110)-surface of Ni by hydrogen chemisorption.