Characterization of nano‐organized multilayers constituted by successive inorganic (gold) and organic (alkylthiols) layers

Nanostructured multilayers constituted by alternate metallic (gold) and organic (alkyldithiol) layers, and grafted onto glass or silicon substrates are prepared and analysed. Such complex layers could be of interest as a new type of surfaces but also as localized dissipative zones particularly in the field of adhesion science. The formation and the structure of these model systems are examined using a number of techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), wetting analysis (contact angles), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and conductivity measurements. It is shown that, in terms of electrical conductivity, gold layers exhibit a percolation transition from an insulating granular structure to a conductive worm‐like structure at a threshold thickness of about 5 nm. XPS (and wettability) analyses clearly indicate that the fractional coverage of the gold surface is about 30% with alkyldithiol and that these molecules are either grafted in a stand‐up position or in the form of a loop. Moreover, a partial electrical connection between two successive gold layers is observed, confirming that the confined organic layer of alkyldithiol between them is too loosely organized to play the role of an insulating barrier. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Calculation of transport properties of Co–Ag-based multilayered granular alloys

We calculate electronic transport properties of multilayered granular alloys, composed of discontinuous Co layers embedded in Ag alternated with complete Ag layers. We focus our attention on the conductivity dependance on the shape and size of the clusters. The electronic structure is self-consistently calculated using a tight binding hamiltonian which includes a Hubbard term within the unrestricted Hartree–Fock approximation. We obtain different transport regimes depending on the growth conditions and transport direction.     

PdMn/Co多层膜的磁性和磁光特性研究

用磁控溅射法制备了不同Mn含量的PdMn/Co磁性多层膜，通过x射线衍射对该多层膜系列进行结构分析；测定了不同Mn含量系列样品的磁滞回线、垂直各向异性及磁力显微镜图，分析了饱和磁化强度、磁畴和垂直各向异性变化的原因；通过测定该多层膜体系的克尔谱，简要分析了一定波长下克尔角随Mn含量增加而变化的物理机制. 关键词： 多层膜 磁性 磁光     

Magnetic Thomas-Fermi-Weizsäcker model for quantum dots: A comparison with Kohn-Sham ground states

The magnetic extension of the Thomas-Fermi-Weizs?cker kinetic energy is used within density-functional-theory to numerically obtain the ground state densities and energies of two-dimensional quantum dots. The results are thoroughly compared with the microscopic Kohn-Sham ones in order to assess the validity of the semiclassical method. Circular as well as deformed systems are considered. Received 26 October 2000 and Received in final form 14 December 2000     

TEM and Raman scattering investigation of carbon in annealed Co/C soft X-ray multilayers

The structures of the carbon sublayers in the annealed Co/C soft X-ray multilayers fabricated by using a dual-facing-target sputtering system have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy (RS). The results suggest that the structural variations in the carbon layers can be roughly divided into three stages, i.e. ordering, crystalline and grain growth stages. At the ordering stage with annealing temperatures below 400°C, the amorphous carbon layers change from ones of bond-angle disorder and fourfold-bonding only to ones of threefold-bonding. At the crystalline stage, the amorphous carbon layers in the as-deposited multilayers crystallize to graphite crystallites in the annealing temperature range of 500–600°C. At the grain growth stage, the specimens are annealed at temperatures higher than 700°C. A growth in the graphite crystallite dimensions is observed, which is consistent with the TEM results. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Beijing Zhongguancun Associated Center of Analysis and Measurement.     

Magnetic Anisotropy and the Appearance of Stripe Magnetic Domains in Co/Fe Multilayers

Thin Co/Fe multilayers were e-beam evaporated in ultra-high vacuum, keeping constant the Co layer thickness and varying that of Fe in the 0.5÷15 nm range. By increasing the Fe layer thickness, a component of magnetization perpendicular to the film plane rises up, and long and parallel magnetic domains (stripe domains) appear. The phenomenon is explained on the basis of the competition between the magnetoelastic anisotropy induced by stresses at the interfaces, and the shape anisotropy constraining the magnetization in the film plane. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Tunable Metal‐Enhanced Fluorescence by Stimuli‐Responsive Polyelectrolyte Interlayer Films

In this paper, we report on the tunable metal‐enhanced fluorescence (MEF) of Ag nanostructures. Because of the good MEF properties of the highly dendritic Ag nanostructures, we obtained an increase of up to 25 times for the weak fluorescence of porphyrin molecules (Por^4–). More importantly, by the introduction of a stimulus‐responsive PAA/PDDA multilayer film as an interlayer, the distance between the fluorophores and the Ag nanostructures could be tuned by immersing the substrates into solutions of different ionic strength or pH. The MEF behavior of the composite films could thus be tuned in a controlled manner, because of the distance dependent nature of the MEF effects.

     

Tunable interface anisotropy in a Pt/Co_(1-x)Fe_x/Pt multilayer

Interfacial magnetic anisotropy in a Pt/Co1-xFex /Pt multilayer is tuned by doping iron atoms into the cobalt layer.The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and out-of-plane coercivity are found to decrease with increasing x.For a specific x,the out-of-plane coercivity acquires a maximal value as a function of the thickness of the CoFe layer.At low temperature,the coercivity is enhanced.Small coercivity but reasonably large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy can be obtained by controlling the x and CoFe layer thickness.