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Results for “Magnetic thin films”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Magnetic‐Field‐Switchable Laser via Optical Pumping of Rubrene

Abstract Volumetric optical imaging of magnetic fields is challenging with existing magneto‐optical materials, motivating the search for dyes with strong magnetic field interactions, distinct emission spectra, and an ability to withstand high photon flux and incorporation within samples. Here, the magnetic field effect on singlet‐exciton fission is exploited to demonstrate spatial imaging of magnetic fields in a thin film of rubrene. Doping rubrene with the high‐quantum yield dye dibenzotetraphenylperiflanthene (DBP) is shown to enable optically pumped, slab waveguide lasing. This laser is magnetic‐field‐switchable: when operated just below the lasing threshold, application of a 0.4 T magnetic field switches the device between nonlasing and lasing modes, accompanied by an intensity modulation of +360%. This is thought to be the first demonstration of a magnetically switchable laser, as well as the largest magnetically induced change in emission brightness in a singlet‐fission material to date. These results demonstrate that singlet‐fission materials are promising materials for magnetic sensing applications and could inspire a new class of magneto‐optical modulators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Exploiting Spin Fluctuations for Enhanced Pure Spin Current

We demonstrate the interplay of pure spin current, spin-polarized current, and spin fluctuation in 3d Ni x Cu 1–x . By tuning the compositions of the Ni x Cu 1–x alloys, we separate the effects due to the pure spin current and spin-polarized current. By exploiting the interaction of spin current with spin fluctuation in suitable Ni-Cu alloys, we obtain an unprecedentedly high spin Hall angle of 46%, about 5 times larger than that in Pt, at room temperature. Furthermore, we show that spin-dependent thermal transport via anomalous Nernst effect can serve as a sensitive magnetometer to electrically probe the magnetic phase transitions in thin films with in-plane anisotropy. As a result, the enhancement of spin Hall angle by exploiting spin current fluctuation via composition control makes 3d magnets functional materials in charge-to-spin conversion for spintronic application.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Metallicity and anomalous Hall effect in epitaxially strained, atomically thin RuO 2 films

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE), a hallmark of time-reversal symmetry breaking, has been reported in rutile RuO 2 , a debated metallic altermagnetic candidate. Previously, AHE in RuO 2 was observed only in strain-relaxed thick films under extremely high magnetic fields (~50 T). Yet, in ultrathin strained films with distinctive anisotropic electronic structures, there are no reports, likely due to disorder and defects suppressing metallicity thus hindering its detection. Here, we demonstrate that ultrathin, fully strained 2 nm TiO 2 /t nm RuO 2 /TiO 2 (110) heterostructures, grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy, retain metallicity and exhibit a sizeable AHE at a significantly lower magnetic field (< 9 T). Density functional theory calculations reveal that epitaxial strain stabilizes a noncompensated magnetic ground state and reconfigures magnetic ordering in RuO 2 (110) thin films. These findings establish ultrathin RuO 2 as a platform for strain-engineered magnetism and underscore the transformative potential of epitaxial design in advancing spintronic technologies.

MBE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Magnetic Fluctuations in Niobium Pentoxide

Using a spin-polarized muon beam we were able to capture magnetic dynamics in an amorphous niobium pentoxide thin film. Muons are used to probe internal magnetic fields produced by defects. Magnetic fluctuations could be described by the dynamical Kubo-Toyabe model considering a time-dependent local magnetic field. We state that observed fluctuations result from the correlated motion of electron spins. We expect that oxygen vacancies play a significant role in these films and lead to a complex magnetic field distribution which is non-stationary. The characteristic average rate of magnetic field change is on the order of 100~MHz. The observed dynamics may provide insight into potential noise sources in Nb-based superconducting devices, while also highlighting the limitations imposed by amorphous oxides.

Krasnikova, Y.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Simultaneous measurement of the exchange parameter and saturation magnetization using propagating spin waves

The exchange interaction in ferromagnetic ultra thin films is a critical parameter in magnetization-based storage and logic devices, yet the accurate measurement of it remains a challenge. While a variety of approaches are currently used to determine the exchange parameter, each has its limitations, and good agreement among them has not been achieved. To date, neutron scattering, magnetometry, Brillouin light scattering, spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and Kerr microscopy have all been used to determine the exchange parameter. Here, we present a method that exploits the wavevector selectivity of Brillouin light scattering to measure the spin wave dispersion in both the backward volume and Damon–Eshbach orientations. The exchange, saturation magnetization, and magnetic thickness are then determined by a simultaneous fit of both dispersion branches with general spin wave theory without any prior knowledge of the thickness of a magnetic “dead layer.” In this study, we demonstrate the strength of this technique for ultrathin metallic films, typical of those commonly used in industrial applications for magnetic random-access memory.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Robust perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in off-axis sputtered europium iron garnet (EuIG) thin films

In this study, the rare earth iron garnet (REIG), Eu 3 Fe 5 O 12 (EuIG) has emerged as a promising material for ferrimagnetic insulator based spintronics. Earlier studies have shown that perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in EuIG and other REIGs can be achieved by magnetostriction and misfit strain at the film-substrate interface. Typically, the strain relaxes significantly with thickness, limiting the thickness of films that can be grown using this strategy. Here we show PMA that does not reduce substantially with thickness in epitaxial EuIG films grown by off-axis sputtering; The PMA remains robust in films > 100 nm thick. Epitaxially induced strain with minimal relaxation is confirmed using high resolution symmetric and asymmetric x-ray diffraction reciprocal space maps.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Orientation-dependent stabilization of MgCr 2 O 4 spinel thin films

AB 2 O 4 normal spinels with a magnetic B site can host a variety of magnetic and orbital frustrations leading to spin-liquid phases and field-induced phase transitions. Here, we report the epitaxial growth of (111)-oriented MgCr 2 O 4 thin films. By characterizing the structural and electronic properties of films grown along the (001) and (111) directions, the influence of growth orientation has been studied. Despite distinctly different growth modes observed during deposition, the comprehensive characterization reveals no measurable disorder in the cation distribution nor multivalency issue for Cr ions in either orientation. Contrary to a naive expectation, the (111) stabilized films exhibit a smoother surface and a higher degree of crystallinity than (001)-oriented films. The preference in growth orientation is explained within the framework of heteroepitaxial stabilization in connection to a significantly lower (111) surface energy. Furthermore, these findings open broad opportunities in the fabrication of two-dimensional kagome-triangular heterostructures with emergent magnetic behavior inaccessible in bulk crystals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Flexible sensor technology

A system and method (referred to as a method) to fabricate sensors and electronic circuits. The method prints a first thin-film having an electronic conductivity of about less than a millionth of a Siemens per meter and a permalloy directly onto the first thin-film. The permalloy has a magnetic permeability greater than a predetermined level and has a thickness within a range of about 1 to 20 microns. The system prints a second thin-film directly onto the permalloy to encapsulate the permalloy onto the first thin-film and prints conductive traces directly onto the surfaces of the first-thin-film, the permalloy, and the second thin-film. In some applications, a sensor is packaged in an additively manufactured three-dimensional cylindrical shape that can be mounted on or is a unitary part of a current carrying conductor without incising, sharing, or severing (e.g., cutting) the current carrying conductor or its insulation.

Joshi, Pooran Chandra↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integrating magnetic Co-nanopillars in a NbN-based VAN thin film as a multifunctional hybrid metamaterial

NbN thin films are considered as a promising alternative candidate to conventional Al superconducting electrodes for Josephson junction devices, superconducting qubits and quantum logic circuits. Herein, by co-growing ferromagnetic Co with superconducting NbN, self-assembled NbN–Co vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) thin films have been successfully deposited on a MgO substrates, with NbN in its cubic superconducting phase. The obtained VAN metamaterials exhibit epitaxial growth of NbN with uniformly dispersed Co nanoplates. Further physical property characterization reveals that the NbN–Co VAN presents ferromagnet properties with strong out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy and optical anisotropy. This hybrid metamaterial system could find future applications in superconducting spintronic devices and quantum computing devices.

Zhang, Yizhi [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (Un↗
DOE OSTI2020

Anisotropic domains and antiferrodistortive-transition controlled magnetization in epitaxial manganite films on vicinal SrTiO 3 substrates

We studied the microstructural evolution and magnetism of ferroelastic La 0.9 Sr 0.1 MnO 3 (LSMO) epitaxial thin films grown on SrTiO 3 (001) substrates with different miscut angles. The substrate miscut angle plays a critical role in controlling the in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The microscopic origin of such magnetic anisotropy is attributed to the formation of anisotropic stripe domains along the surface step terraces. The magnetization in the LSMO films was found to be selectively modulated by the antiferrodistortive phase transition of the SrTiO 3 substrate. This phenomenon has been qualitatively explained by a strain modified Stoner–Wohlfarth model. We conclude that the magnetization modulation by the SrTiO 3 phase transition depends on h, the ratio of applied magnetic field to the saturation field. Such modulation is only visible with h < 1. The established domain microstructure–anisotropy–magnetism correlation in manganite films can be applied to a variety of complex oxide thin films on vicinal substrates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effective reduction of PdCoO 2 thin films via hydrogenation and sign tunable anomalous Hall effect

PdCoO 2 , belonging to a family of triangular oxides called delafossite, is one of the most conducting oxides. Its in-plane conductivity is comparable to those of the best metals and exhibits hydrodynamic electronic transport with an extremely long mean free path at cryogenic temperatures. Nonetheless, it is nonmagnetic despite the presence of the cobalt ion. In this work, we show that a mild hydrogenation process reduces PdCoO 2 thin films to an atomically mixed alloy of PdCo with strong out-of-plane ferromagnetism and sign-tunable anomalous Hall effect. Considering that many other compounds remain little affected under a similar hydrogenation condition, this discovery may provide a route to creating novel spintronic heterostructures combining strong ferromagnetism, involving oxides and other functional materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Phonon Transport Controlled by Ferromagnetic Resonance

The resonant coupling of phonons and magnons is important for the interconversion of phononic and spin degrees of freedom. We study the phonon transmission in LiNbO 3 manipulated by the dynamic magnetization in a Ni thin film. It is observed that the phonons can be absorbed strongly through resonant magnon-phonon coupling, which is realized by our modifying the magnon-phonon coupling within the Ni itself as well as our optimizing the interfacial coupling between Ni and LiNbO 3 . The line shapes of phonon transmission are further investigated considering the magnon-phonon interconversion in the elastically driven ferromagnetic resonance process. The results promote unique routes for phonon manipulation and detection in the presence of magnetization dynamics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Delineating magnetization dynamics in solution-processed doped yttrium iron garnet thin films

Here, in this work, thin films of ruthenium-doped and cerium-doped yttrium iron garnet were deposited on silicon using solgel chemistry. Doped YIG could be produced in phase pure form up to a precursor stoichiometry of Y 3 Ru 0.1 Fe 4.9 O 12 and Ce 0.7 Y 2.3 Fe 5 O 12 . Both dopants significantly increase the coercivity and anisotropy field of the materials either due to domain wall pinning or increased spin–orbit coupling from the dopant. To delineate these two effects, the dynamic magnetic properties were studied using strip line ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). The FMR linewidth was separated into intrinsic loss and inhomogeneous line broadening. Inhomogeneous line broadening was found to dominate the magnetic losses in all the films likely due to magnon scattering off grain boundaries, but the Gilbert damping remained fairly low. By comparing the two dopants, it was found that Gilbert damping increased more in Ce:YIG films than in Ru:YIG films. This finding was corroborated by changes in the anisotropy field of the films, indicating a larger contribution from spin–orbit coupling from cerium than from ruthenium. Surprisingly, while magnetic loss globally increased with higher substitution, adding a small amount of dopant actually reduced the inhomogeneous line broadening in both sets of films. This was corroborated by crystallite size. The damping in Ru:YIG also decreased with a small amount of the dopant, which has been predicted by Kittel for doped garnets. Thus, it follows that there is an ideal doping regime where solgel YIG can be doped at low levels without increasing magnetic loss.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ultradense Arrays of Sub-100 nm Co/CoO Nanodisks for Spintronics Applications

Sub-100 nm ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic nanodisks present enhanced magnetic properties with respect to their thin film counterparts. Co/CoO disks were fabricated over large areas by a transferring process of an anodic aluminum oxide membrane, electron beam evaporation of Co, and subsequent oxidation to CoO. This method reveals exchange bias fields up to 4 times larger than that in thin films and higher blocking temperatures for the same oxidation protocol. The significant improvement of the magnetic properties is attributed to finite-size effects in nanostructures and might be exploited in diverse areas such as the magnetic stabilization of ultradense arrays or the scalability process of patterned heterostructures in spintronic phenomena.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Time resolved electrical, optical, and thermal probes of topological spin textures in magnetic nanostructures

This project is a fundamental study of magnetization dynamics in nanoscale spin textures with topological properties. One example is magnetic skyrmions that form in chiral ferromagnetic material systems that lack inversion symmetry. We have concentrated on the scalable chiral magnetic metal B20 FeGe thin film that has an asymmetric exchange interaction due to non-centrosymmetric cubic lattice. While the asymmetric exchange interaction can be found at the interface of a ferromagnet and a heavy metal, manipulation of skyrmions at these interfaces is non-trivial due to pinning and it requires higher critical current. In contrast, B20 materials such as FeGe have superior material quality to offer pinning-free and low-current skyrmion motion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Coercivity enhancement in hematite/permalloy heterostructures across the Morin transition

Interfacial effects between antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) materials have long been a center of magnetism studies. Aside from the exchange bias occurring at the AFM/FM interface, controlling the coercivity is another significant topic in magnetic recordings. The coercivity of FM materials is often determined through varying grain size, alloy composition, density of defects, etc., which is set during material growth and offers limited room for modification after growth. Hematite (α - Fe 2 O 3 ) is an AFM material that undergoes a temperature-controlled spin-flip transition, the so-called Morin transition. This transition gives an extra degree of freedom making hematite an intriguing component to study the exchange coupling when interfaced with an FM material. Here, in this work, changes in the magnetic properties of soft magnetic permalloy (Ni 81 Fe 19 , or Py) thin films grown on hematite were studied across the Morin transition. Surprisingly, these samples showed a remarkable change in coercivity during the Morin transition. We attribute this effect to the magnetic domain mixture of hematite during the Morin transition. Our findings present a novel method of controlling the coercivity of plain ferromagnetic thin films.

Antiferromagnet↗