Layer-resolved magnetic moments in Ni/Pt multilayers

The magnetic moments in Ni/Pt multilayers are thoroughly studied by combining experimental and ab initio theoretical techniques. SQUID magnetometry probes the samples' magnetizations. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism separates the contribution of Ni and Pt and provides a layer-resolved magnetic moment profile for the whole system. The results are compared to band-structure calculations. Induced Pt magnetic moments localized mostly at the interface are revealed. No magnetically "dead" Ni layers are found. The magnetization per Ni volume is slightly enhanced compared to bulk NiPt alloys.     

Ab initio calculations of magnetic structure and lattice dynamics of Fe/Pt multilayers

The magnetization distribution, its energetic characterization by the interlayer coupling constants and lattice dynamics of (001)-oriented Fe/Pt multilayers are investigated using density functional theory combined with the direct method to determine phonon frequencies. It is found that ferromagnetic order between consecutive Fe layers is favoured, with the enhanced magnetic moments at the interface. The bilinear and biquadratic coupling coefficients between Fe layers are shown to saturate fast with increasing thickness of nonmagnetic Pt layers which separate them. The phonon calculations demonstrate a rather strong dependence of partial iron phonon densities of states on the actual position of Fe monolayer in the multilayer structure.     

Magnetization reversal and domains structures in (Co/Ni/Co/Pt) multilayers

Multilayers of [Co/Ni(t_Ni)/Co/Pt]_×4 are investigated for different Ni insertion layer thicknesses. The resulting magnetic properties and magnetic domain structures are compared with [Co/Ni]_×8 multilayers. As determined by magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy and a vibrating sample magnetometer measurements, all multilayers exhibited a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. It is found that the nucleation field and magnetic coercivity of [Co/Ni(t)/Co/Pt]_×4 multilayers are lower than (Co/Ni)_×8 and decreased with Ni thickness. Magnetization decay measurements reveal that these multilayers did not show an exponential decay behavior as was observed in rare earth transition metal alloys. Very narrow wires will remain stables for several hours even with an applied magnetic field closer to the coercivity. Insertion of very thin Ni in (Co/Pt) multilayers offers a good way to optimize the magnetic properties of the material and adjust the domain size for nanowire-based devices.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of Pd-Ni multilayers: Study using density functional theory

Electronic and magnetic properties of Pd-Ni multilayers have been studied using VASP method in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT). The calculations performed for different configurations (Pd_n/Ni_m(1 1 1), where n Pd layers are piled up over m Ni layers with n=0 to 4 and n+m=4), reveal that the important magnetic moment of Ni is significantly enhanced according as n increases due to hybridization effects between Pd and Ni mostly localized at the interface. The results also indicate that the Pd atoms are strongly polarized in the studied systems when compared with the pure metal.     

Magnetic anisotropy in multilayers

Magnetic anisotropy between in-plane and out of plane magnetic alignments is studied in a variety of multilayer systems using Mössbauer spectrosopy to observe the (Fe) magnetic orientation. The surface anisotropy in Fe/Au (1 1 1) multilayers is measured as K _s = 0.9 × 10^?3 Jm^?2. In Fe/Ni multilayers the dependence of magnetic orientation on external field applied normal to the layers enables volume and interface anisotropies K _v = (?5 ± 1) × 10⁴ Jm^?3 and K _s = (?0.6 ± 0.4)× 10^?3 Jm^?2 to be evaluated. In similar applied field experiments coherent rotation of the magnetic Fe and NiFe layers in Fe/Cu/NiFe/Cu multilayers was observed for intervening Cu layer thickness x = 5 Å but independent rotation for x = 50 Å. Out of plane magnetic components are observed for DyFe₂, YFe₂ thin films and DyFe₂/YFe₂ multilayers. In fields of up to 0.25 T applied inplane only the moments of the YFe₂ film showed significant rotation.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Pt in Co/Pt multilayers

[Co(30 Å)/Pt(x Å)]₂₀ multilayers with the Pt layer thicknesses varying from 5 Å to 20 Å were characterized structurally by high angle X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetically by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. It is found that the structure and magnetic properties of Pt have a strong correlation with the Pt layer thickness. The 20 Å thickness Pt layer is not almost influenced by the adjacent Co layer and the nearest neighbors are dominated by Pt-Pt shells. With decreasing Pt layer thickness, the nearest neighbors are gradually dominated by Pt-Co shells and the Pt-Co intermixing regions also remarkable increase at the interfaces, especially for the 5 Å thickness Pt layer. The orbital and spin magnetic moments as well as the ratio m_orb/m_spin all decrease systematically with increasing Pt layer thickness, indicating that the interface atoms are polarized by direct Pt-Co hybridization, but that the adjacent layers are polarized by Pt-Pt interactions.     

NixPt1−x/Rh(111): A stable surface alloy with enhanced magnetic moments

We have performed ab initio density functional theory calculations to investigate the miscibility and magnetic properties of pseudomorphically grown monolayers of Ni_xPt_1?x surface alloys on a Rh(111) substrate. We find that the formation of this alloy is energetically favored over phase-segregated forms, and its magnetic moment is also enhanced. A significant contribution to this enhanced magnetic moment is found to come from the induced moments on the otherwise non-magnetic elements Pt and Rh. A low concentration of Ni gives rise to a high magnetic moment per Ni atom. We find that a low effective coordination and a high non-spin-polarized density of states at the Fermi level are responsible for these enhanced moments.     

Interfacial electronic structure and magnetoelectric effect in M/BaTiO3 (M=Ni,Fe) superlattices

Using first-principles density functional theory, we investigate the interfacial electronic structure and magnetoelectric effect in M/BaTiO₃ (M=Ni, Fe) superlattices, and find a novel type of interfacial magnetoelectric coupling mechanism in the Ni/BaTiO₃ interface. This magnetoelectric effect is determined by the change of magnetic moments on Ni atoms near the interface, instead of the induced moments on interfacial Ti atoms in Fe/BaTiO₃ system, which is also distinguished from the spin-polarized carriers screening mechanism. The underlying physics is the strong interface bonding and the pdσ-type magnetic interactions between Ni 3d and O 2p spins. Furthermore, there exists an extraordinary intralayer oscillation of magnetic moments within the Ni layers, which may be observed in experiments.     

Perpendicular magnetization and exchange bias in epitaxial NiO/[Ni/Pt]2 multilayers

The realization of perpendicular magnetization and perpendicular exchange bias(PEB)in magnetic multilayers is important for the spintronic applications.NiO(t)/[Ni(4 nm)/Pt(1 nm)]₂multilayers with varying the NiO layer thickness t have been epitaxially deposited on SrTiO;(001)substrates.Perpendicular magnetization can be achieved when t<25 nm.Perpendicular magnetization originates from strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA),mainly resulting from interfacial strain induced by the lattice mismatch between the Ni and Pt layers.The PMA energy constant decreases monotonically with increasing t,due to the weakening of Ni(001)orientation and a little degradation of the Ni–Pt interface.Furthermore,significant PEB can be observed though NiO layer has spin compensated(001)crystalline plane.The PEB field increases monotonically with increasing t,which is considered to result from the thickness dependent anisotropy of the NiO layer.     

Co/Ni多层膜垂直磁各向异性的研究

采用直流磁控溅射法在玻璃基片上制备了Pt底层的Co/Ni多层膜样品, 对影响样品垂直磁各向异性的各因素进行了调制, 通过样品的反常霍尔效应系统的研究了Co/Ni多层膜的垂直磁各向异性. 结果表明, 多层膜中各层的厚度及周期数对样品的反常霍尔效应和磁性有重要的影响. 通过对多层膜各个参数的调制优化, 最终获得了具有良好的垂直磁各向异性的Co/Ni多层膜最佳样品Pt(2.0)/Co(0.2)/Ni(0.4)/Co(0.2)/Pt(2.0), 经计算, 该样品的各向异性常数K_eff 达到了3.6×10⁵ J/m³, 说明样品具备良好的垂直磁各向异性. 最佳样品磁性层厚度仅为0.8 nm, 样品总厚度在5 nm以内, 可更为深入的研究其与元件的集成性.     

Magnetic studies in evaporated Ni/Pd multilayers

The magnetic properties of Ni/Pd multilayers, prepared by sequential evaporation in ultrahigh vacuum, have been studied. The Ni thickness dependence of the magnetization and magnetic anisotropy is discussed. The temperature dependence of the spontaneous magnetization is well described by a T^3/2 law in all multilayers. A spin-wave theory has been used to explain the temperature dependence of the spontaneous magnetization, and the approximate values for the exchange interactions for various Ni layer thicknesses have been obtained.     

Magnetic transition in Co/(Gd–Co) multilayers

[Co/Gd_0.36Co_0.64]₄/Co multilayers with Co termination layer have been prepared by rf sputtering. They form macroscopic ferrimagnets with a compensation temperature (T_comp) determined by the thickness ratio of the layers. In low fields the magnetization of Co and Gd–Co layers are along the axis of the applied field. Increasing field makes the moments of both the Co and Gd–Co layers deviate from the axis of the field giving rise to a transition into a twisted state. These magnetic transitions were studied by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), magneto-optic Kerr effect and magnetoresistance measurements at various temperatures. The nucleation and evolution of surface- and bulk-twisted magnetic states were also observed in these multilayers.     

Pt插层对Co/FeMn界面的影响

采用磁控溅射的方法制备了Co/FeMn/Co多层膜,研究了Co（底部）/FeMn和FeMn/Co（顶部）界面插入Pt层后磁矩的变化情况．通过测量磁滞回线可知,Co（底部）/FeMn界面的Pt插层改变了体系的饱和磁化强度Ｍ_s,随着Co层厚度（t_Co）的增加Ｍ_s不断趋近于Co块体结构理论值1440 kA/m．这是因为Co（底部）/FeMn界面产生了净磁矩,而界面处的Pt插层可以减少这种净磁矩的产生．但是 关键词： 磁性多层膜 垂直磁各向异性 交换耦合     

Mössbauer study of magnetic Fe/FeSi multilayers

Many useful properties of magnetic multilayers depend on the coupling between the ferromagnetic layers. The coupling often oscillates with the thickness of non-magnetic spacer layers: it is ferro- or antiferromagnetic or even non-collinear near a critical thickness. We investigated the magnetron-sputtered Fe/FeSi multilayers with spacer thickness around 1.7 nm by means of Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy with oblique incidence of the γ beam in order to gain information on the orientation of the local magnetic moments in the multilayer plane. The results show that the local moments make an angle of 45°–50° with the direction of the remanent magnetization. This is consistent with strong biquadratic coupling which in turn is expected at this spacer thickness from our magnetic measurements. An analysis of the distribution ofB _hf corresponding to different numbers of n.n. Si atoms in the bcc Fe structure points to weak diffusion of Si through the Fe/FeSi interface characterized by a diffusion length of about twice the substrate roughness.     

Chiral structures and tunable magnetic moments in 3d transition metal doped Pt₆ clusters

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of transition metal doped platinum clusters MPt 6 (M=Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) are systematically studied by using the relativistic all-electron density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation. Most of the doped clusters show larger binding energies than the pure Pt 7 cluster, which indicates that the doping of the transition metal atom can stabilize the pure platinum cluster. The results of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gaps suggest that the doped clusters can have higher chemical activities than the pure Pt 7 cluster. The magnetism calculations demonstrate that the variation range of the magnetic moments of the MPt 6 clusters is from 0 μ B to 7 μ B , revealing that the MPt 6 clusters have potential utility in designing new spintronic nanomaterials with tunable magnetic properties.     

First principles studies of Fe/Co superlattices and multilayers with bcc (0 0 1) and (1 1 0) orientations

The layer resolved magnetic moments and magnetic anisotropy energy of Fe/Co superlattices and multilayers with bcc (0 0 1) and (1 1 0) orientations obtained from first principles simulations are reported here. The magnetic moment of Fe atoms are found to depend on the geometry, coordination number and proximity to Co atoms, whereas that of Co remains almost constant in the superlattices and multilayers. Mixing of atoms at the interface resulted in enhanced Fe magnetic moment while that of Co is unaffected. The magnetic anisotropy energy in superlattices and multilayers are found to be larger than the corresponding values of bulk counterparts. Calculated easy axis of magnetization is in the plane for all superlattice compositions considered in the study, while that in multilayers, changes with crystalline orientation and thickness of Co layers.     

Hyperfine structure of highly charged ions

¹⁹⁷Au Mössbauer spectra from Au/TM (TM = Fe, Co, Ni) multilayers consist mainly of two components. One component shows a large hyperfine magnetic field due to the hybridization at the interface between Au and ferromagnetic layers. The other component is nonmagnetic arising from the middle part of the Au layers. From the fractional area of the magnetic components in each spectrum, the Au atoms in 0.4 nm Au layers are perturbed by the Fe and Ni layers, and Co layers perturb 0.3 nm Au layers at the interface.     

Electronic structure and magnetism of NpTAl (T=Co, Ni, Rh, Ir and Pt) and NpNiGa from first-principles calculations

First-principles calculations based on density-functional theory were performed for the first time on NpTAl (T=Co, Ni, Rh, Ir and Pt) and NpNiGa. The electronic density of states and equilibrium volume were studied using relativistic full-potential APW plus local-orbitals calculations. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy was estimated from total-energy calculations and the a-axis was predicted to be the easy axis of magnetization with the exception of T=Rh. Finally, we employed the LSDA+U method to mimic the orbital polarization and to obtain the correct total magnetic moments in experimental equilibrium.     

Magnetism at surfaces and interfaces

The current state-of-the-art of ab-initio calculations of the magnetic structures of surfaces and interfaces is highlighted by presenting results obtained with the recently developed full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method for thin films. In particular, spin density maps, (induced) magnetic moments and hyperfine-fields are presented for the clean metal surfaces Fe(001), Ni(001) and Pt(001). The magnetic moments on an interface are discussed for the prototypical case Ni/Cu.     

Ultrathin (CoFe/Pt)n multilayers with tuned magnetic properties

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) has been investigated in ultrathin (CoFe [0.2] nm/Pt [0.2] nm)_n multilayers. The Pt layers show an fcc crystal structure with a preferred [111] orientation. The multilayers with n=3, 4 show PMA in the as-grown state, which can be enhanced by thermal annealing. However, no PMA is observed in the as-grown state with higher repetitions (n>&=5), although it is observed after thermal annealing. For 1=&<n=&<8, the anisotropy energy is around 10⁵ J/m³ for all (CoFe [0.2]/Pt [0.2])_n stacks. The perpendicular anisotropy is related to layer thickness and interface roughness.