Influence of thickness,width and temperature on critical current density of Nb thin film structures

The density of critical currents j_C in Nb thin films with thickness smaller than 15 nm and width between 100 nm and 10 μm has been measured in a wide temperature range. We have found that the temperature dependencies of j_C in sub-micrometer wide bridges at 0.7T_C < T < T_C are well described by the Ginzburg–Landau de-pairing critical current. In wider bridges already at T < 0.9T_C the j_C value is significantly reduced due to the penetration and de-pinning of magnetic vortices.     

Exchange bias in bulk Ni-Mn-In-based Heusler alloys

The crystal structure and exchange bias of the bulk Heusler alloys Ni₅₀Mn_50−xIn_x with 14.5?x?15.2 have been investigated using X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements, respectively. Magnetic measurements were performed with SQUID magnetometry after samples were zero-field cooled and field cooled (FC) in positive magnetic fields up to H=50 kOe, from a temperature T=380 K. Three temperatures of the phase transitions, T₁<T_M<T_C, and a shift of the FC (50 kOe) magnetic hysteresis loops up to 120 Oe at 5 K have been detected for all samples. The exchange bias field (H_E) was almost constant for intermediate In concentrations 14.8<x<15.2, and sharply decreased to about 20 Oe on the borders of this concentration interval (x?14.5; 15.2?x). The changes of H_E have been related to changes in the ratio of T₁ to T_M: the overlapping of transitions at T₁ and T_M (for x=14.8, and 15.2) results in a decrease in H_E.     

On the coexistence of spin and lattice polarons in the La0.67−xEuxCa0.33MnO3 CMR system

The electrical and magnetic transport properties of the La_0.67−xEu_xCa_0.33MnO₃ system exhibit lowering of insulator to metal and paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition temperature (T_C) with the increase of Eu concentration in addition to possessing CMR property. The temperature variation of electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility for x=0.21 is found to have two distinct regions in the paramagnetic state for T>T_P; one with the localization of lattice polaron in the high-temperature region (T>1.5T_P) satisfying the dynamics of variable range hopping (VRH) model and the other being the combination of the spin and lattice polarons in the region T_P<T<1.5T_P. The resistivity variation with temperature and magnetic field, the cusp in the resistivity peak and CMR phenomenon are interpreted in terms of coexistence of spin and lattice small polarons in the intermediate region (T_P<T<1.5T_P). The spin polaron energy in the La_0.46Eu_0.21Ca_0.33MnO₃ system is estimated to be 106.73±0.90 meV and this energy decreases with the increase of external magnetic field. The MR ratio is maximal with a value of 99.99% around the transition temperature and this maximum persists till T→0 K, at the field of 8 T.     

Preparation and low field magnetoresistance of double layered manganite La1.4Ca1.6Mn2O7

Double layered manganite of La_1.4Ca_1.6Mn₂O₇ (DLCMO) was prepared using solid state reaction method and had a metal-insulator transition temperature (T_MI) of 125 K. The short range 2D-feerromagnetic ordering (T_C2) starts growing when T<168 K and it gets converted into 3D-ferromagnetic ordering (T_C1) at 114 K. Low field magnetoresistance (MR) behaviour of the DLCMO was investigated and compared with an infinite layered manganite La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (LCMO). For DLCMO, in the temperature range between T_C1 and T_C2, the MR showed a gradual increase with the magnetic field. The observed MR and R-T behaviour of double layered manganite for T_C1<T<T_C2 has been explained in the frame work of the two phase model [ferromagnetic (FM) domains and paramagnetic (PM) regions] and percolative behaviour of transport in FM-PM mixture.     

Shock-tube study of HCN self-broadening and broadening by argon for the P(10) line of the ν1 band at 3 μm

A tunable infrared diode laser was used to measure the fully resolved absorption line shape of the P(10) line in the ν₁ band (10°0–00°0) of HCN for shock-heated mixtures of HCN-Ar at temperatures of 1000, 1500 and 2000 K. The temperature dependence of the collision-broadening coefficients 2γ (cm^-1 atm^-1, FWHM) were inferred for both self-broadening and broadening by argon. For the assumed form 2γ = 2γ₀(T₀/T)ⁿ the exponent n was determined to be 0.63 ± 0.06 with 2γ₀ = 0.11 cm^-1atm^-1 and T₀ = 300 K for argon-broadening in the range 300 < T < 2000 K, and 1.2 ± 0.6 with 2γ₀ = 0.68 cm^-1atm^-1 and T₀ = 1000 K for self-broadening in the range 1000 < T < 2000 K.     

Heat capacity of CeIrSi3 under pressure

We measured the heat capacity of CeIrSi₃ (100 mK<T<6 K) under high pressure up to P=1.38 GPa. The measurements have been used a quasiadiabatic method utilizing a CuBe piston-cylinder pressure cell in a dilution refrigerator. At 0 GPa, a sharp anomaly which indicates the antiferromagnetically transition is observed at T_N=5 K. T_N decreases monotonically with increasing pressure up to P=1.38 GPa. The magnetic entropy is released below T_N only 19% of R ln 2 at 0 GPa. And the magnetic entropy decreases with increasing pressure up to 1.38 GPa, 64% compared to that at 0 GPa.     

The thermoelectric power in AgxTiS2 and AgxNiPS3. Part II. The ionic component of the thermoelectric power

The EMF of the isothermal cells: Ag/AgI/Ag_xTiS₂: 0<x<1, T=150–200°C/Ag_xNiPS₃: 0<x<3, T=150–350°C has been measured. From the EMF-x curves the existence ranges of the 2-phase (stage I and II) regions ?0.16<x<0.32 for the Ag/Ag_xTiS₂ system at 190°C; 0.20 < x < 0.50 and 1 < x < 2 for the Ag/Ag_xNiPS₃ system at 400°C - have been determined. The results are sustained by X-ray diffraction and electrical conductivity measurements. From the EMF-T curves the partial enthalpy (ΔH?_Ag) and entropy (ΔS?_Ag) of dissolution of silver in the Ag_xSSE (solid solution electrode) materials were obtained. In the case of Ag_xTiS₂, ΔH?_Ag has a low absolute value, while ΔS?_Ag is distinctly positive. The EMF of the Ag/Ag_xNiPS₃ system also has a positive temperature coefficient. Furthermore, the ionic component of the thermoelectric power, ΔE/ΔT, of the thermogalvanic cells: Ag/AgI/Ag_xSSE/AgI/Ag Ag_xTiS₂: 0 < x < 1, T = 150–200°C( T ) (T+ΔT) Ag_xNiPS₃: 0 < x < 1, T= 150–350°C has been measured. The kinetically important heat of transport of silver ions in the Ag_xSSE materials has been determined in two ways: first from the dependence of the ionic Seebeck coefficient (?_Ag+) on reciprocal temperature; and second from direct calculation, using the data for ?_Ag+ and ΔS?_Ag. The heat of transport is much smaller than the activation enthalpy for Ag⁺-conduction, indicating a high ionic polaron binding energy in these materials.     

The effects of elements doping on transport and thermoelectric properties of Sr3Ti2O7

The Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) phase compounds (Sr_0.95R_0.05)₃Ti₂O₇ (R=Er, Y, Dy, Gd, Eu, Sm, Nd and La) were prepared, and their transport and thermoelectric properties were investigated. The results indicate that high-T electrical resistivity ρ (300 K<T<1000 K) increases monotonically with temperature and basically has a relation ρ∝T^M, with M varying from 0.91 to 1.92 at temperatures T>~650 K, suggesting acoustic phonon scattering is dominant. At low temperatures (5 K<T<300 K), ρ for (Sr_0.95R_0.05)₃Ti₂O₇ (R=Nd and La) decreases monotonously with decreasing temperature, whereas ρ for (Sr_0.95R_0.05)₃Ti₂O₇ (R=Er, Y, Dy, Gd, Eu and Sm) decreases first, and then increases instead as T decreases to a critical temperature T_c. Moreover, electrical conductivity σ∝T^1/2 holds at lower temperatures, indicating that the electron–electron interaction caused by the presence of disorder dominates the transport process at the low temperatures. Besides, experiments show that at T<~400 K the lattice thermal conductivity of the doped compounds basically decreases with increase of the atomic mass of dopants. Generally, the figure of merit (ZT) at 1000 K increases first, and then decreases with the increase of the dopants' ionic radius, and the largest ZT is achieved in (Sr_0.95Gd_0.05)₃Ti₂O₇ mainly owing to its lower lattice thermal conductivity.     

Spin dependence of the inclusive reaction p + p (polarized) → π0 + X at 24 GeV/c for high-pTπ0 produced in the central region

The spin dependence of π⁰ inclusive production by 24 GeV/c protons has been measured using a polarized target for Fhe Feynman x near 0 in the transverse momentum range 1.0 < p_T < 2.5 GeV/c. The results indicate a negative updown asymmetry growing strongly with p_T and greater than 50% in absolute value for p_T greater than 2 GeV/c.     

Metastable states in phase separated electron doped Sm0.15Ca0.85MnO3

In order to study the mechanism behind the phase separation scenario in the Sm_0.15Ca_0.85MnO₃ compound, magnetization and resistivity measurements have been carried out in pulsed magnetic fields up to 50 T at temperatures 4.2 K<T<200 K. It is found that external magnetic field causes a collapse of a C-type AFM (P2₁/m) phase resulting in field-induced insulator-metal transition, which is irreversible below T₁=75 K. In zero field the content of a G-type phase in the mixed C-G state can vary from 10 to 17% at T=10 K. A set of metastable states with different volume ratios of G-type to C-type phases is observed below T₁ depending on the history of the sample. The obtained results indicate that the phase separation plays a dominant role for the electric and the magnetic properties of this material.     

Electron hopping mechanism in hematite (α-Fe2O3)

The frequency dependence of the real (?′) and imaginary (?″) parts of the dielectric constant of polycrystalline hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) has been investigated in the frequency range 0-100 kHz and the temperature range 190-350 K, in order to reveal experimentally the electron hopping mechanism that takes place during the Morin transition of spin-flip process. The dielectric behaviour is described well by the Debye-type relaxation (α-dispersion) in the temperature regions T<233 K and T>338 K. In the intermediate temperature range 233 K<T<338 K a charge carrier mechanism takes place (electron jump from the O²⁻ ion into one of the magnetic ions Fe³⁺) which gives rise to the low frequency conductivity and to the Ω-dispersion. The temperature dependence of relaxation time (τ) in the −ln τ vs 10³/T plot shows two linear regions. In the first, T<238 K, τ increases with increasing T implying a negative activation energy −0.01 eV, and in the second region T>318 K τ decreases as the temperature increases implying a positive activation energy 0.12 eV. The total reorganization energy (0.12-0.01) 0.11 eV is in agreement with the adiabatic activation energy 0.11 eV given by an ab initio model in the literature. The temperature dependence of the phase shift in the frequencies 1, 5, 10 kHz applied shows clearly an average Morin temperature T_Mo=284±1 K that is higher than the value of 263 K corresponding to a single crystal due to the size and shape of material grains.     

Neutron scattering study on CeAgAs2

CeAgAs₂, an HfCuSi₂ like layered pnictide, orders antiferromagnetically at T_N=6.2(1) K. The ordering process was monitored in neutron diffraction experiments in the temperature range 10 K≥T≥3.5 K. At T=4 K the lattice parameters are a=5.7438(1) Å, b=5.7696(1) Å and c=21.0067(2) Å. The diffraction pattern of the antiferromagnetic phase with a propagation vector k=[0,0,0] point towards ferromagnetically ordered moments in Ce layers stacked along [001], the individual layers are coupled antiferromagnetically with a +− −+type sequence. The alignment of moments within the Ce layers cannot be determined reliably from the experimental data so that two different structure models are discussed. The proposed metamagnetic transition was confirmed by diffraction experiments applying an external magnetic field at T<T_N. In the interval 4 K≤T≤6 K, a relatively small field of μ₀H≈0.3 T suffices to fully suppress the antiferromagnetic ordering. The effect is completely reversible yet subject to hysteresis: After switching off the external field at any T<T_N the magnetic reflections gain their original intensity within several 10 min indicating the restoring of the antiferromagnetic phase.     

Thermomagnetic transitions and coercivity mechanism in bulk composite Nd60Fe30Al10 alloys

The thermomagnetic behaviour (within the temperature range 553-300 K) for the bulk composite Nd₆₀Fe₃₀Al₁₀ alloy is described in terms of a transition from paramagnetic to superferromagnetic state at T=553 K, followed by a ferromagnetic ordering for T<473 K. For the superferromagnetic regime, the alloy thermomagnetic response was associated to a homogeneous distribution of magnetic clusters with mean magnetic moment and size of 1072 μ_B and 2.5 nm, respectively. For T<473 K, a pinning model of domain walls described properly the alloy coercivity dependence with temperature, from which the domain wall width and the magnetic anisotropy constant were estimated as being of ≈8 nm and ≈10⁵ J/m³, typical values of hard magnetic phases. Results are supported by microstructural and magnetic domain observations.     

Early-stage ordering in in-situ annealed Fe51Pt49 films

We evidenced an early-stage ordering (ESO) in Fe₅₁Pt₄₉ film before the appearance of superlattice diffraction (long-range-order, LRO) using 40-nm-thick films prepared by magnetron sputtering onto quartz substrate. The appearance of L1₀ phase for samples deposited at substrate temperatures (T_s) 400 °C and higher was verified by X-ray diffraction. Surface roughness of Fe₅₁Pt₄₉ films, obtained via X-ray specular reflectivity with computational fitting, increases from 3.8 to 11 Å as T_s is increased from 25 to 275 °C. As further increase of T_s to 375 °C, the roughness drops to 3.2 Å and then increases again to 38 Å with T_s up to 700 °C. Measurement on residual strain demonstrates that it is initially compressive at T_s<400 °C. Thereafter the strain transfers to a tensile one and increases in magnitude as increasing T_s up to 700 °C corresponding to LRO transformation. Local atomic rearrangement is observed for samples deposited at T_s>250 °C by using extended X-ray absorption fine structure. Coercivity of films increases from 10 to 460 Oe as T_s increase from 25 to 375 °C (ESO) and then from 460 to 10,700 Oe with T_s 375-700 °C (normal LRO). The worked out quantitative estimation of ESO engages with that of LRO before T_s 400 °C.     

Thermoelectric power of potassium doped lanthanum manganites at low temperatures

The temperature-dependent resistivity and thermoelectric power of monovalent (K) doped La_1−xK_xMnO₃ polycrystalline pellets (x=0.05, 0.10 and 0.15) between 50 and 300 K are reported. K substitution enhances the conductivity of this system. Curie temperature (T_C) also increases from 260 to 309 K with increasing K content. In the paramagnetic region (T>T_C), the electrical resistivity is well represented by adiabatic polaron hopping, while in the ferromagnetic region (T<T_C), the resistivity data show a nearly perfect fit for all the samples to an expression containing, the residual resistivity, spin-wave and two-magnon scattering and the term associated with small-polaron metallic conduction, which involves a relaxation time due to a soft optical phonon mode. Small polaron hopping mechanism is found to fit well to the thermoelectric power (S) data for T>T_C whereas at low temperatures (T<T_C) in ferromagnetic region (S_FM), S_FM is well explained with the spin-wave fluctuation and electron–magnon scattering. Both, resistivity and thermopower data over the entire temperature range (50–300 K) are also examined in light of a two-phase model based on an effective medium approximation.     

Anisotropic<Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>-wave or<Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>-wave pairing? Analysis of experiments on ion irradiation of YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7-x</Subscript> films

The effect of ion irradiation on the superconducting transition temperatureT _c and resistivityρ _ab (T) of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x films with different oxygen content (initial temperatureT _c0≈90 K and 60 K) is studied experimentally. The dependenciesT _c /T _c0 on residual resistivityρ _o are obtained in very wide range 0.2<T _c /T _c0 <1 andρ _o μΩ·cm. The critical values ofρ _o , corresponding to the vanishing of superconductivity, are found to be an order of magnitude larger then those predicted by theory ford-wave pairing. At 0.5÷0.6<T _c /T _c0<1 the experimental data are in close agreement with theoretical dependencies, obtained for the anisotropics-wave superconductor within the BCS-framework.     

Magnetic phases in lanthanum-strontium manganite-cobaltite La1.25Sr0.75MnCoO6

Two methods—the solid-phase high-temperature (1300 °C) and the liquid-phase low-temperature (750 °C) routes—were used to synthesize the complex oxide La_1.25Sr_0.75MnCoO₆, which has the structure of rhombohedral perovskite and is characterized by a disordered distribution of Mn and Co in structural sites. It was found by means of X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) at the K-edge that mixed valence states of Co²⁺/Co³⁺ and Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺, exist in both phases. Measurements of dc magnetization and real (χ′) and imaginary (χ″) parts of the ac susceptibility showed that the magnetic properties of these oxides are determined by a ferromagnetic transition at T_C=217 K and a frequency-dependent transition at T_g<100 K. The high frequency dependence of T_g is indicative of the cluster-glass behavior of La_1.25Sr_0.75MnCoO₆ (7 5 0) at T<T_C within the ferromagnetic state.     

Growth, microstructure and electrical properties of sputter-deposited hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films grown using a HfO2 ceramic target

Hafnium oxide (HfO₂) thin films have been made by radio-frequency (rf) magnetron-sputtering onto Si(1 0 0) substrates under varying growth temperature (T_s). HfO₂ ceramic target has been employed for sputtering while varying the T_s from room temperature to 500 °C during deposition. The effect of T_s on the growth and microstructure of deposited HfO₂ films has been studied using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The results indicate that the effect of T_s is significant on the growth, surface and interface structure, morphology and chemical composition of the HfO₂ films. Structural characterization indicates that the HfO₂ films grown at T_s < 200 °C are amorphous while films grown at T_s > 200 °C are nanocrystalline. An amorphous-to-crystalline transition occurs at T_s = 200 °C. Nanocrystalline HfO₂ films crystallized in a monoclinic structure with a (−1 1 1) orientation. An interface layer (IL) formation occurs due to reaction at the HfO₂-Si interface for HfO₂ films deposited at T_s > 200 °C. The thickness of IL increases with increasing T_s. EDS at the HfO₂-Si cross-section indicate that the IL is a (Hf, Si)-O compound. The electrical characterization using capacitance-voltage measurements indicate that the dielectric constant decreases from 25 to 16 with increasing T_s. The current-voltage characteristics indicate that the leakage current increases significantly with increasing T_s due to increased ILs.     

Increase in Tc and spin glass transition in La0.9Ca0.1Mn1−yCryO3 (y=0, 0.1 and 0.2)

We report on the structural, frequency dependent ac susceptibility, dc magnetization and magnetoresistance (MR) measurements on polycrystalline samples of La_0.9Ca_0.1Mn_1−yCr_yO₃ (y=0, 0.1 and 0.2) prepared by sol-gel technique. For y=0, a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition is observed at T_c=136 K. Both for y=0.1 and 0.2, T_c increases from 136 to 180 K. For y=0, the imaginary part of the ac susceptibility shows a broad transition at T_f<T_c which does not depend very much on the frequency. However, for y=0.1 and 0.2, the frequency dependence resembles that of a spin glass. Though all the three samples show a semi-conducting behavior between 300 and 5 K, a negative MR is observed corresponding to T_c and T_f. The value of MR decreases for the Cr substituted samples.     

Magnetic relaxation near a fishtail peak of isothermal magnetization in B1 NbCy encapsulated in multiwall carbon nanocages

Isothermal magnetization near a fishtail peak in nanocrystalline B1 NbC_y encapsulated in multiwall carbon nanocages is studied within the time window of 100 < t < 4000 s. The current density J exhibits a linear logarithmic time decay. The effective activation energy U_eff increases linearly with temperature T and is independent of applied magnetic field H. The results of J(t) and U_eff (T, H) are consistent with the Anderson–Kim flux–creep model for thermally activated motion of uncorrelated vortices or vortex bundles over a net potential barrier U_eff. U_eff at a fishtail peak field H_fp evolves quickly above a fishtail peak temperature T_fp, but slowly below that temperature. The result suggests that a decrease of flux viscosity coefficient above T_fp at H_fp is the origin of the fishtail peak in nanocrystalline B1 NbC_y encapsulated in multiwall carbon nanocages.