Modelling the magnetorefractive effect in giant magnetoresistive granular and layered materials

The Zhang–Levy–Granovskii (Z–L–G) model of the magnetorefractive effect (MRE) in granular films and the Jacquet–Valet (J–V) model, originally developed for magnetic multilayers, are compared and their common origin demonstrated. Simulations in an extended Hagen–Rubens (H–R) model give new insight into the variation with wavelength of the MRE, and the relative dependence of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) and the MRE to material and experimental parameters such as bulk and interface scattering parameters, mean free paths, grain diameter, polarisation and reflection geometry is explored. The sensitivity of the size, wavelength dependence and the position of the depth of the minimum in the MRE spectra to the different parameters is verified. We establish powerful new equations to correlate the MRE and GMR, and we analyse their validity for a variety of film parameters. This suggests a new approach to the use of the MRE in sensing GMR in the films.     

Negative Goos-Hanchen Effect in Thin-Film Fabry-Perot Filter

We investigate the Goos-Hgnchen effect of a Gaussian light beam reflected by the thin-film Fabry-Perot filter. It is shown that the Goos-Hanchen shift can be either negative or positive, The Gaussian-beam analysis and stationary phase method are introduced to calculate the lateral shift between the incident beam and the reflected beam at different wavelengths and to analyse the Goos-Hgnchen effect in the thin-film Fabry-Perot filter, The effect of the incident beam diameter is also discussed,     

薄膜的光谱发射率

本文讨论了薄膜内的多次反射对低吸收薄膜光谱发射率的影响。这里推导出的薄膜发射率的表达式与薄膜厚度d和其光学常数n(λ）和k(λ）有关。在d→∞的特殊情况下，薄膜发射率与大块材料发射率相等。给出了实际数值评价及发射率与d、n(λ）和k(λ)相互关系的更为精确的数值结果。     

Influence of superparamagnetic regions on the giant magnetoresistance of electrodeposited Co–Cu/Cu multilayers

The room-temperature magnetoresistance (MR) of electrodeposited Co–Cu/Cu multilayers was investigated. Samples were prepared on either a polycrystalline Ti foil or on a silicon wafer covered with a Ta buffer and a Cu-seed layer. The field dependence of the magnetoresistance was analyzed by decomposing the GMR into ferromagnetic (FM) and superparamagnetic (SPM) contributions, whereby the field dependence of the latter could be described by a Langevin function. In order to better understand the influence of the deposition conditions on the GMR in electrodeposited multilayers, the evolution of the relative importance of the two GMR contributions is discussed in terms of the Co dissolution process during the Cu deposition pulse.     

Electrodeposition and characterization of Cu/Co multilayers: Effect of individual Co and Cu layers on GMR magnitude and behavior

The present work discusses the successful electrodeposition of Cu/Co multilayers, exhibiting appreciable GMR of 12-14% at room temperature. The effect of individual Cu and Co layers on the magnitude and behavior of GMR has been studied. By varying the thickness of individual layers the field at which saturation in GMR is observed can be controlled. It was observed that for lower thicknesses of Co layer, the saturation fields are reduced below 1 kOe. The Cu layer thickness seems to control the nature of magnetic coupling and the saturation field, with the two showing a correlation.     

Quantitative study of the temperature dependence of normal LWIR apparent emissivity

In a previous work, a method of measurement of apparent emissivity in situ was implemented. This approach has the decisive advantage of being suitable for any commercial infrared systems. It was tested successfully to characterize the normal LWIR apparent emissivity of an aluminium nitride plate in the temperature range [40–550 °C]. Apparent emissivity exhibits a tight temperature dependence. By using the classical model of apparent emissivity and taking into account the spectral emissivity of aluminium nitride ceramic and the spectral response of the IR sensor, we modelled our apparent emissivity measurement with 5% of accuracy and with dispersion better than 1% within the overall temperature range. The effect on the apparent emissivity of both the detection window and the temperature dependence of the spectral emissivity are highlighted.     

Enhanced granular magnetoresistance due to ferromagnetic layers

Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of sequentially evaporated Fe-Ag structures has been investigated. Direct experimental evidence is given, showing that inserting ferromagnetic layers into a granular structure significantly enhances the magnetoresistance. The increase in the GMR effect is attributed to spin polarization effects. The large enhancement (up to more than a fourfold value) and the linear variation of the GMR in low magnetic fields are explained by scattering of the spin polarized conduction electrons on paramagnetic grains.     

The structure and optical properties of evaporated Samarium fluoride films

Samarium fluoride (SmF₃) films have been deposited on quartz, silicon and germanium substrates by vacuum evaporation method. The crystal structure of the films deposited on silicon substrate is examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The films deposited at 100 °C, 150 °C and 250 °C have the (1 1 1) preferred growth orientation, but the film deposited at 200 °C has (3 6 0) growth orientation. The surface morphology evolution of the films with different thickness is investigated with optical microscopy. It is shown that the microcrack density and orientation of thin film is different from that of thick film. The transmission spectrum of SmF₃ films is measured from 200 nm to 20 μm. It is found that this material has good transparency from deep violet to far infrared. The optical constants of SmF₃ films from 200 nm to 12 μm are calculated by fitting the transmission spectrum of the films using Lorentz oscillator model.     

Magnetic-field behavior of heterogeneous magnetic materials

Results on the investigation of the magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Co/Ni/Fe and Fe/Zr/Fe thin-film systems are presented. The study of the magnetic properties of the examined samples was carried out employing magneto-optical micromagnetometer with a surface sensitivity about of 20 nm of the thickness depth and a vibrating sample magnetometer. The examined samples were revealed to exhibit hysteresis loops of complicated forms. These data were explained by the magnetostatic and exchange interactions between the layers in heterogeneous magnetic materials.     

Spectral selectivity of nickel and chromium rough surfaces

The reflectance of metal surfaces with sinusoidal roughness of different periods and depths has been investigated experimentally. The results show clearly that the surface structure can be used to modify the optical properties of metal surfaces at different wavelengths. With a proper choice of groove depth to period ratio, nickel or chromium coatings on gratings have low reflectance in the short wavelength region, but achieve high reflectance in the infrared region. A solar absorptance as high as 93% has been obtained from such a surface. The surfaces are thought to be representative for randomly rough surfaces provided proper correlation length and height variation are chosen. Further, as the absorber is made of a single metal surface, it could be highly temperature resistant.     

Giant magnetoresistance in Co–Al2O3 granular films prepared by self-organized growth

Co–Al₂O₃ granular films with a narrow distribution in cluster size of Co clusters embedded in Al₂O₃ matrix were prepared by sequential deposition based on self-organized growth. Resistivity dependence of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) was studied. The GMR takes a maximum of 5.2% at room temperature and 9.4% at 13 K and 5700 Gs when the resistivity of the sample is 4×10⁵–7×10⁵ μΩ cm. The temperature dependence of resistivities and GMR were discussed especially. A temperature dependence of conductance ρ∼exp[T₁/(T+T₀)] was found, which indicates the dominant conduction mechanism is fluctuation-induced tunneling. A linear relationship of GMR versus T was observed, GMR=a–kT, in applied magnetic field 5700 Gs. The remarkable character of temperature dependence of GMR should be due to the special microstructure that the clusters are monodispersed in the films.     

Two-jump magnetic switching in ultrathin Co(0 0 1) films probed by giant magnetoresistance measurements

Ultrathin epitaxial FCC-Co films, which form part of a spin-valve structure, were found to undergo one- or two-jump magnetic switching, in GMR and MOKE measurements depending upon the field orientation. The transitions are mediated by the propagation of 180° or 90° domain walls. The Co two-jump spin switching in the spin-valve structure has contributed to the formation of three stable GMR states: parallel, antiparallel and a new intermediate state.     

Magnetic properties and giant magnetoresistance in electrodeposited Co–Ag granular films

Small cobalt particles embedded in a silver matrix have been prepared using the electrodeposition technique. The size of the clusters is controlled by the deposition potential and the Co growth time. Structural, magnetic and magneto-transport properties of Co–Ag samples have been investigated as a function of the Co concentration between 2 and 40 at% cobalt. Superparamagnetic behavior is evidenced for the low contents of cobalt while long-range magnetic order appears at higher Co concentrations. The particles size has been determined from magnetic properties and from the X-ray diffraction technique, and varies between 3.5 and 9 nm. Magnetoresistance passes through a maximum as a function of the cobalt concentration. A maximum of ∼4% GMR is obtained at room temperature while GMR reaches a value of 14% at 10 K.     

Laser polishing of diamond plates

Results are reported on laser polishing of 150–400-μm-thick free-standing diamond films with either a copper vapor laser (510 nm wavelength) or an ArF excimer laser (193 nm wavelength). Studies were focused on three particular goals. First, we aimed at a choice of optimum conditions for laser polishing of thick diamond films. It was shown that the laser polishing conditions and the resulting surface roughness were controlled by varying the angle of incidence of a scanning laser beam and by polishing time. Second, the laser ablation technique was applied to remove a defective layer from the “substrate” side of the diamond plates in order to reduce optical losses due to absorption in this layer. Third, the structure of the laser-graphitized diamond surface was studied using UV, visible, and IR optical spectroscopy techniques in the course of the “step-by-step” oxidative removal of the graphitic layer with increasing temperature of the oxidation in ambient air. Once the graphitic layer was removed, the optical transmission in the UV-visible-IR spectral range of the diamond films polished under optimum conditions was measured and compared with the optical transmission of the mechanically polished diamond films. It was shown that the optical quality (in the long-wave infrared region) of the laser-polished diamond plates was sufficient to reach the transmittance value very close to the theoretical limit. Received: 20 October 1998 / Accepted: 8 March 1999 / Published online: 5 May 1999     

Effects of annealing time on infrared emissivity of the Pt film grown on Ni alloy

Platinum films were sputter-deposited on polished nickel alloy substrates. The platinum thin films were applied to serve as low-emissivity layers to reflect thermal radiation. The platinum-coated samples were then heated in the air at 600 °C to explore the effects of annealing time on the emissivity of platinum films. The results show that the grain size of the Pt films increased with the increasing annealing time while their dc electrical resistivity decreased. Besides, the IR emissivitiy of the films gradually decreased with the increasing annealing time. Especially, when the annealing time reached 150 h, the average IR emissivity at the wavelength of 3-14 μm was only about 0.1. Moreover, the chemical analysis indicated that the Pt films on Ni-based alloy exhibit a good resistance against oxidation at 600 °C.     

Laser pulse transient method for measuring the normal spectral emissivity of samples with arbitrary surface quality

A laser pulse transient method for measuring normal spectral emissivity is described. In this method, a laser pulse (λ=1064 nm) irradiates the top surface of a flat specimen. A two-dimensional temperature response of the bottom surface is measured with a calibrated thermographic camera. By solving an axisymmetric boundary value heat conduction problem, the normal spectral emissivity at 1064 nm is determined by using an iterative nonlinear least-squares estimation procedure. The method can be applied to arbitrary sample surface quality. The method is tested on a nickel specimen and used to determine the normal spectral emissivity of AISI 304 stainless steel. The expanded combined uncertainty of the method has been estimated to be 18%.     

Temperature recovery of opaque bodies by thermal radiation spectrum: the use of relative emissivity to select the optimal spectral range

The approach based on relative emissivity was tested and developed using the experimental data. It was assumed that the medium separating an opaque body and measuring device was diathermic or nonradiating (it is characterized by its transmittance); radiation source emissivity and medium transmittance were unknown. Data on comparison of spectral radiances (spectral intensities), obtained within 220–2500 nm for the temperature lamps in the metrological laboratories of Europe, Russia, and USA were used as the initial experimental data. It is shown that the use of relative emissivity allows graphical interpretation for the solution to the initial nonlinear system of equations. In this case, the problem of determining the true temperature of the body by the thermal radiation spectrum in a graphical interpretation is reduced to the choice depending on relative emissivity at the desired temperature. It is shown that to narrow the interval, which includes the true temperature, the criterion was based on a change in convexity of spectral dependence of the relative emissivity in the process of desired temperature selection. The use of relative emissivity in a spectral range, where the Rayleigh—Jeans approximation is satisfied, allows unambiguous determination for the shape of emissivity dependence on the wavelength. The relationship for determination of the peak wavelength within the registered thermal radiation spectrum on the basis of data about the true temperature of the body and its spectral emissivity is presented.     

Optical multilayer post growth instabilities: Analyses of Gd2O3/SiO2 system in combination with scanning probe force spectroscopy

Post growth multilayer instabilities of a certain periodic Gd₂O₃/SiO₂ multilayer systems have been investigated using scanning probe force-distance spectroscopy and optical spectrophotometric techniques. In the present work, we have noticed a strong correlation between the force spectroscopic results and the spectral properties of multilayer thin films, although measurement techniques and operating principles are quite different. From the experimental analysis, it was quite evident that the instability process, which starts during the nucleation and growth stage in thin films, continues to persist at a much longer time scale under post growth conditions. During this study it has been noticed that the elastic properties of the constituent thin films, the layer geometry and the bilayer thickness have strong correlation in trickling the multilayer instabilities. Such aspects also have strong interconnections with the morphological and viscoelastic changes. It is also noticed that most of the instabilities results cannot only be explained through elastic nature of the material alone. Instead, total number of layers, the layer structures, morphological changes, corresponding stiffness and the adhesion properties of the multilayer contribute substantially to these phenomena.     

Magneto-transport and ferromagnetic resonance studies of polycrystalline La0.6Pb0.4MnO3 thin films

To understand the nature of grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials, magneto-transport and ferromagnetic resonance measurement have been performed in polycrystalline La_0.6Pb_0.4MnO₃ (LPMO) thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Films are found to undergo a semiconductor to metal transition at 230 K and re-enter into the semiconducting state below 130 K. Microwave absorption measurements carried out as function of applied field show two components of resonant absorption signal. First component is in accordance with ferromagnetic transition of grains at Curie temperature and the second component shows antiferromagnetic transition of grain boundaries at 160 K. An additional non-resonant absorption signal centered at zero field has also been observed that supports transition from conducting to insulating grain boundaries at ∼160 K. Further, temperature dependence of resistance in semiconducting state at low temperatures is in accordance with coulomb blockade model indicating insulating nature of AFM grain boundaries.     

Effect of laser radiation on the morphology and emissivity of nanodimensional carbon films

The effect of high-power pulsed laser radiation on the morphology and field emission of electrons from nanocrystalline graphite films is studied. The films are prepared by dc-discharge-activated CVD from a hydrogen-methane mixture. The material of the films partly evaporates under the action of the laser pulse. Threshold laser power densities at which the emissivity and geometry of the cathode surface change are determined. A direct correlation between the morphology and emission characteristics is shown to be absent.