Clear experimental evidence for boundary and impurity scattering related crossover field scales in GaAs/AlGaAs split-gate wires

We study the magnetic field dependence of the correlation field ΔB_cand amplitude δgof the conductance fluctuations, observed in the low temperature magnetoresistance of GaAs/AlGaAs split-gate wires. Near zero field, universality of quantum interference is retained and the magnetoresistance shows universal conductance fluctuations. At high magnetic fields, although the discrete Landau level quantization becomes resolved. ΔB_cand δgare found to increase linearly with magnetic field, with a slope which depends upon the nature of electron scatterings in the wire.     

Investigation of the pressure and temperature dependence of the intrinsic magnetic properties of YCo4Ge

The YCo₄Ge intrinsic magnetic properties; such as the saturation magnetization and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy parameters; are determined at 5, 100, 200 and 300 K from a fit of the isothermal magnetization curves measured in applied field up to 10 T. Ge for Co substitution induces a reduction of the first order anisotropy parameter as well as of the uniaxial anisotropy field. At 4 K an anisotropy field of 5.8 T is obtained, whereas a value of that is observed at room temperature. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy found for YCo₄Ge is significantly reduced upon heating from 4 to 300 K. The investigation of the magnetic properties of YCo₄Ge in both the ordered and the paramagnetic phases shows that this YCo₄Ge compound exhibits a typical itinerant ferromagnetic behavior. The effect of applied pressure on the isothermal magnetization has been investigated showing that the volume has an important influence on the magnetization of YCo₄Ge. The influence of the Ge for Co substitution on the Co-Co exchange interaction is also discussed. The results are compared and commented on in the light of earlier reports for YCo₅ and other Co containing phases.     

Magnetic properties of the novel nanocomposite (Zn0.15Ni0.85Fe2O4)0.15/(SiO2)0.85 at room temperature

The value of the effective magnetic anisotropy constant of the ferrimagnetic nanoparticles Zn_0.15Ni_0.85Fe₂O₄ embedded in a SiO₂ silica matrix, determined through ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), is much higher than the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant. The higher value of the anisotropy constant is due to the existence of surface anisotropy. However, even if the magnetic anisotropy is high, the ferrimagnetic nanoparticles with a 15% concentration, which are isolated in a SiO₂ matrix, display a superparamagnetic (SPM) behavior at room temperature and at a frequency of the magnetization field equal to 50 Hz. The FMR spectrum of the novel nanocomposite (Zn_0.15Ni_0.85Fe₂O₄)_0.15/(SiO₂)_0.85, recorded at room temperature and a frequency of 9.060 GHz, is observed at a resonance field (B_0r) of 0.2285 T, which is substantially lower than the field corresponding to free electron resonance (ESR) (0.3236 T). Apart from the line corresponding to the resonance of the nanoparticle system, the spectrum also contains an additional weaker line, identified for a resonance field of ∼0.12 T, which is appreciably lower than B_0r. This line was attributed to magnetic ions complex that is in a disordered structure in the layer that has an average thickness of 1.4 nm, this layer being situated on the surface of the Zn_0.15Ni_0.85Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles that have a mean magnetic diameter of 8.9 nm.     

Coil-less fluxgate effect in (Co0.94Fe0.06)72.5Si12.5B15 amorphous wires

In this study, the coil-less fluxgate properties of the as-cast and annealed amorphous wires with the composition (Co_0.94Fe_0.06)_72.5Si_12.5B₁₅ were investigated. As its name implies, a coil-less fluxgate is a new type of magnetic-field sensor without a coil. When the wire is periodically saturated in a magnetic field in the circumferential direction with a 30 kHz, 62 mA driving current under a 16.5π rad/m torsional strain, there is a linear variation in the second harmonic of the voltage from the wire ends as a function of the applied external DC magnetic field along the length of the wire.Current-stress annealing of each sample improved the sensitivity of the coil-less fluxgate sensor. This is the first time that it has been shown that a linear change in the output of the coil-less fluxgate sensor can be obtained using torsion annealed wire without the necessity of twisting the wire during measurement. We showed that the linear operating range of the sensor can be increased by increasing the demagnetization factor in the sensing direction, so that the coil-less fluxgate sensor can be miniaturised just by reducing the wire length.     

Magnetic and optical response of tuning the magnetocrystalline anisotropy in Fe3O4 nanoparticle ferrofluids by Co doping

Co_xFe_3−xO₄ (0?x?0.10) nanoparticles coated with tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide as a surfactant were synthesized by a co-precipitation technique. The Fe:Co ratio was tuned up to x=0.10 by controlling the Co²⁺ concentration during synthesis. The mean particle size, determined by transmission electron microscopy, ranged between 15±4 and 18±4 nm. The superparamagnetic blocking temperature and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant of the ferrofluids, determined using ac and dc magnetic measurements, scale approximately linearly with cobalt concentration. We also find distinct differences in the optical response of different samples under an applied magnetic field. We attribute changes in field-induced optical relaxation for the x=0 and 0.05 samples to differences in the anisotropic microstructure under an applied magnetic field.     

Effect of thermal treatment on the magnetization processes of nanocrystalline Fe80Ge3Nb10B7 alloys

The dynamic magnetization processes of nanocrystalline Fe₈₀Ge₃Nb₁₀B₇ alloys after annealing at different temperatures are studied through the permeability spectroscopy. Three steps of crystallization are found when amorphous Fe₈₀Ge₃Nb₁₀B₇ alloys are heated from 300to 1200 K. The dominant magnetization process varies with different annealing temperatures. Domain wall bulging is the main magnetization mechanism under weak applied field. When the applied field exceeds pinning field H_p, the depinning-involved domain wall displacement occurs. Different annealing temperature results in different H_p. The lower value of μ′ and high relaxation frequency after heating at 923 and 973 K are due to the strengthened domain wall pinning and the increase of magnetocrystalline anisotropy.     

Fabrication and magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanowire arrays in different diameters

Fe₃O₄ nanowire arrays with different diameters of D=50, 100, 150 and 200 nm were prepared in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates by an electrodeposition method followed by heat-treating processes. A vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and a Quantum Design SQUID MPMS magnetometer were used to investigate the magnetic properties. At room temperature the nanowire arrays change from superparamagnetism to ferromagnetism as the diameter increases from 50 to 200 nm. The zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) magnetization measurements show that the blocking temperature T_B increases with the diameter of nanowire. The ZFC curves of D=50 nm nanowire arrays under different applied fields (H) were measured and a power relationship between T_B and H were found. The temperature dependence of coercivity below T_B was also investigated. Mössbauer spectra and micromagnetic simulation were used to study the micro-magnetic structure of nanowire arrays and the static distribution of magnetic moments of D=200 nm nanowire arrays was investigated. The unique magnetic behaviors were interpreted by the competition of the demagnetization energy of quasi-one-dimensional nanostructures and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy of particles in nanowires.     

Electronic structures and magnetocrystalline anisotropy energies of ordered Co1-xNix alloys: a first principles study

The electronic structures and magnetocrystalline anisotropy(MA) of ordered hexagonal close-packed(hcp) Co1-xNix alloys are studied using the full-potential linear-augmented-plane-wave(FLAPW) method with generalized gradient approximation(GGA).Great changes of magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy(MAE) are gained with different Ni compositions.Also,in-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy is obtained for Co 15 Ni in which the Snoek’s limit is exceeded.It is found that the changes of the symmetry of the crystal field on Ni induce small variations in band structures around the Fermi level under different compositions,which plays an important role in modulating the magnetization direction,where the hybridization between Co-3d and Ni-3d orbits is of special importance in deciding the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of itinerant states.The rigid-band model is inapplicable to explain the evolution of magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy with Ni composition,and it is also inadequate to predict the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy through the anisotropy of the orbital magnetic moment.     

Magnetic ordering above room temperature in the sigma-phase of Fe66V34

Magnetic properties of four sigma-phase Fe_100−xV_x samples with 34.4?x?55.1 were investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements in the temperature interval 4.2-300 K. Four magnetic quantities, viz. hyperfine field, Curie temperature, magnetic moment and susceptibility, were determined. The sample containing 34.4 at% V was revealed to exhibit the largest values found up to now for the sigma-phase for average hyperfine field, 〈B〉=12.1 T, average magnetic moment per Fe atom, 〈μ〉=0.89 μ_B, and Curie temperature, T_C=315.3 K. The quantities were shown to be strongly correlated with each other. In particular, T_C is linearly correlated with 〈μ〉 with a slope of 406.5 K/μ_B, as well as 〈B〉 is so correlated with 〈μ〉, yielding 14.3 T/μ_B for the hyperfine coupling constant.     

Magnetic domain structure in Fe78.8−xCoxCu0.6Nb2.6Si9B9 nanocrystalline alloys studied by Lorentz microscopy

The magnetic domain structures of Fe_78.8−xCo_xCu_0.6Nb_2.6Si₉B₉ (x=0, 20, 40, 60) alloys are investigated by Lorentz microscopy coupled with the focused ion beam method. The specimen prepared using the FIB method is found to have a considerably more uniform thickness compared to that prepared using the ion-milling method. In Fe_38.8Co₄₀Cu_0.6Nb_2.6Si₉B₉ and Fe_18.8Co₆₀Cu_0.6Nb_2.6Si₉B₉ alloys, 180° domain walls extending in the direction of the induced magnetic anisotropy are observed. Analysis with Lorentz microscopy reveals that the width of the magnetic domains decreases with an increase in the cobalt content or the induced magnetic anisotropy K_u, that is, the domain width d is proportional to the induced magnetic anisotropy (K_u)^−1/4. On the other hand, in the in situ Lorentz microscopy observation as a function of temperature, magnetic ripple structures are found to appear in a localized area due to the fluctuation of magnetization vectors from 423 K. It is observed that the induced magnetic anisotropy caused by the applied magnetic field at 803 K is not suppressed by the magnetic ripple structures observed at 423–443 K.     

Effect of boron concentration on the magnetic properties of (FeCoNi) 100−xBx (x=15 and 20 wt%) nanowire arrays

The Fe_14.5Co_16.5Ni₅₅B₁₅ and the Fe₁₃Co_15.5Ni_51.5B₂₀ ferromagnetic nanowires were deposited using the electrochemical deposition method. The structure of these nanowires was investigated using X-ray diffraction. Squid magnetometer was used to investigate the magnetic behavior. The hysteresis loops of 50 μm long nanowire arrays were studied as a function of boron concentration, nanowire diameter and field orientation. The competition between shape anisotropy and magnetostatic interactions played a vital role in determining the magnetic field necessary to saturate an array. The decrease in coercive field (H_c) and the squareness (SQ) of the hysteresis loop from 100 to 200 nm wire diameter for both types of compositions suggests the formation of multidomains in the nanowire.     

Understanding the magnetic ground state of rare-earth intermetallic compound Ce4Sb3: Magnetization and neutron diffraction studies

Magnetization and neutron diffraction studies have been performed on Ce₄Sb₃ compound (cubic Th₃P₄-type, space group I4¯3d, no. 220). Magnetization of Ce₄Sb₃ reveals a ferromagnetic transition at ∼5 K, the temperature below which the zero-field-cooled and field-cooled magnetization bifurcate in low applied fields. However, a saturation magnetization (M_S) value of only ∼0.93μ_B/Ce³⁺ is observed at 1.8 K, suggesting possible presence of crystal field effects and a paramagnetic/antiferromagnetic Ce³⁺ moment. Magnetocaloric effect in this compound has been computed using the magnetization vs. field data obtained in the vicinity of the magnetic transition, and a maximum magnetic entropy change, −ΔS_M, of ∼8.9 J/kg/K is obtained at 5 K for a field change of 5 T. Inverse magnetocaloric effect occurs at ∼2 K in 5 T indicating the presence of antiferromagnetic component. This has been further confirmed by the neutron diffraction study that evidences commensurate antiferromagnetic ordering at 2 K in zero magnetic field. A magnetic moment of ∼1.24μ_B/Ce³⁺ is obtained at 2 K and the magnetic moments are directed along Z-axis.     

Magnetic induction heating of FeCr nanocrystalline alloys

In this work the thermal effects of magnetic induction heating in (FeCr)_73.5Si_13.5Cu₁B₉Nb₃ amorphous and nanocrystalline wires were analyzed. A single piece of wire was immersed in a glass capillary filled with water and subjected to an ac magnetic field (frequency, 320 kHz). The initial temperature rise enabled the determination of the effective Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). Maximum SAR values are achieved for those samples displaying high magnetic susceptibility, where the eddy current losses dominate the induction heating behavior. Moreover, the amorphous sample with Curie temperature around room temperature displays characteristic features of self-regulated hyperthermia.     

In-plane magnetic anisotropy and coercive field dependence upon thickness of CoFeB

The structural and magnetic properties of as-grown 5–50 nm thin ion-beam sputter deposited transition metal–metalloid Co₂₀Fe₆₀B₂₀ (CFB) films are reported in this communication. A broad peak observed at 2θ∼45° in the glancing angle X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the formation of very fine nano-sized grains embedded in majority amorphous CFB matrix. Although no magnetic field is applied during deposition, the longitudinal magneto-optic Kerr effect measurements performed at 300 K in these as-grown films clearly established the presence of in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (K_u). It is argued that this observed anisotropy is strain-induced. This is supported by the observed dependence of direction of K_u on the angle between applied magnetic field and crystallographic orientation of the underlying Si(100) substrate, and increase in the coercivity with the increase of the film thickness.     

Magnetic properties of metastable Gd-Cr alloys

We report on the magnetization, magnetocaloric effect, magnetic ordering temperatures, saturation magnetic moments and anisotropy of sputter-deposited Gd_xCr_1−x alloys with Gd atomic concentrations, x, ranging from 0.13 to 0.52. The complex magnetic nature of the Gd-Cr films was revealed from the M×H isotherms, which do not show saturation even at an applied field of 70 kOe and a temperature of 2 K and do not exhibit a linear behavior at higher temperatures. For some of the samples, the isotherms were used to determine the isothermal entropy variation as a function of temperature, for a change of 50 kOe in the applied magnetic field. The saturation magnetic moment varies with x and follows the dilution law, implying that the Cr atoms do not contribute to the total moment of the Gd-Cr alloys. Both static magnetization and dynamic susceptibility measurements reveal the existence of a magnetic glassy behavior in the alloys, which occurs below a freezing temperature. The existence of anisotropy at low temperatures for all samples was revealed by their M×H hysteresis loops from which the in-plane coercive fields, H_c, were determined. A monotonical increase in H_c with increasing Gd concentration was observed.     

NpAs2: Magnetic form factor and tentative crystal field model

A polarized neutron diffraction experiment at 4.2 K was carried out on two NpAs₂ single crystals with different orientations of the crystallographic axes with respect to the magnetic field. Low temperature atomic positions are given together with the Fermi length of the Np atom: 1.015X10^-12cm. The valence state of the Np ion is 4+, the ordered moment value is 1.46μ_B, a strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy and a field variation of the ordering temperature have been evidenced for the ferromagnetic state. 58 magnetic structure factors have been measured. A tentative crystal field model is presented.     

Field dependence of spin and orbital moments of Fe in L10 FePt magnetic thin films

The field dependence of spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe in L1₀ FePt magnetic thin films was investigated using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The spin and orbital moments were calculated using the sum rules; it was found that the spin and orbital moment of Fe in L1₀ FePt films are ∼2.5 and 0.2 μ_B, respectively. The relative XMCD asymmetry at Fe L₃ peak on the dependence of applied field suggested that the majority magnetic moment of L1₀ FePt films resulted from Fe.     

Giant magnetocrystalline anisotropies of 4d transition-metal monowires

The magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) for ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic freestanding monowires of 4d transition metals is investigated on the basis of first-principles calculations. Across the 4d series, the easy axis of the magnetization oscillates between two directions: perpendicular and along the wire axis. The largest values of the MAE occur at the end of the series. Giant values of 30-60 meV/atom can be obtained upon stretching Ru or Rh wires. Ru and Pd chains change the magnetization direction upon wire stretching, opening new perspectives in controlling the spin-dependent ballistic conductance in these structures.     

On the relation between the effective ferromagnetic resonance linewidth Δfeff and damping parameter αeff in ferromagnetic Fe-Co-Hf-N nanocomposite films

Ferromagnetic Fe-Co-Hf-N nanocomposite films were investigated concerning their microstructure-dependent frequency behaviour. To modify the composition, the films were deposited by reactive RF magnetron sputtering by using three different 6 in. targets with various Hf fractions. The films were post-annealed up to 600 °C in a static magnetic field to induce an in-plane uniaxial anisotropy and to obtain different crystal sizes. Depending on the annealing temperature, high-frequency losses were investigated by considering the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) Δf_eff of the imaginary part of the frequency-dependent permeability which showed a resonance frequency f_FMR of 2.3 GHz for an in-plane uniaxial anisotropy field H_u of 4 mT. The FWHM in correlation with the damping parameter α_eff is discussed, e.g., in terms of two-magnon scattering. Damping occurs due to film inhomogeneity in magnetisation and uniaxial anisotropy caused by a magnetocrystalline anisotropy H_a and/or non-magnetic phases. This will result in homogenous or even inhomogeneous resonance line broadening if additional and resonance as well as precession frequencies of independent grains arise.     

Low-temperature study of the magnetization reversal and magnetic anisotropy of Fe,Ni, and Co nanowires

We present an extensive study of the magnetic reversal mechanism of Fe and Ni nanowires with diameters down to 6 nm, i.e. smaller than the domain wall width. The coercive field at 5 K is a factor of 3 lower than the prediction for rotation in unison. We also observe that the activation energy associated with the reversal process is proportional to the cross-section of the wires and nearly independent of the wire length. From the temperature dependence of the coercive field and the magnetic viscosity we can conclude that magnetization reversal takes place via a nucleation of a small magnetic domain, probably at the end of the wire, followed by the movement of the domain wall. For Co wires, we observe a different behavior that is dominated by the competition between the shape anisotropy and the temperature-dependent magnetocrystalline anisotropy.