Giant Periodic Pseudomagnetic Fields in Strained Kagome Magnet FeSn Epitaxial Films on SrTiO 3 (111) Substrate
Not Available
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
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Strain mapping of GaN substrates and epitaxial layers used for power electronic devices by synchrotr
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Liu, Yafei↗
Epitaxy, exfoliation, and strain-induced magnetism in rippled Heusler membranes
Single-crystalline membranes of functional materials enable the tuning of properties via extreme strain states; however, conventional routes for producing membranes require the use of sacrificial layers and chemical etchants, which can both damage the membrane and limit the ability to make them ultrathin. Here we demonstrate the epitaxial growth of the cubic Heusler compound GdPtSb on graphene-terminated Al 2 O 3 substrates. Despite the presence of the graphene interlayer, the Heusler films have epitaxial registry to the underlying sapphire, as revealed by x-ray diffraction, reflection high energy electron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The weak Van der Waals interactions of graphene enable mechanical exfoliation to yield free-standing GdPtSb membranes, which form ripples when transferred to a flexible polymer handle. Whereas unstrained GdPtSb is antiferromagnetic, measurements on rippled membranes show a spontaneous magnetic moment at room temperature, with a saturation magnetization of 5.2 bohr magneton per Gd. First-principles calculations show that the coupling to homogeneous strain is too small to induce ferromagnetism, suggesting a dominant role for strain gradients. Our membranes provide a novel platform for tuning the magnetic properties of intermetallic compounds via strain (piezomagnetism and magnetostriction) and strain gradients (flexomagnetism).
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Epitaxial columnar growth of strain-free antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Mn 3 Sn on wurtzite c -plane GaN/Al 2 O 3 (0001)
Weyl semimetal thin films with excellent crystalline quality are of great interest for antiferromagnetic spintronics. Mn 3 Sn is one Weyl semimetal with great properties and promise for exciting science and applications. It has proven very challenging, however, to grow Mn 3 Sn thin films with smooth surfaces, negligible strain, and excellent crystallinity. In this work, we discuss the successful preparation of epitaxial Mn 3 Sn (0001)-oriented thin films via molecular beam epitaxial growth on c -plane wurtzite GaN which was grown by MBE on Al 2 O 3 (0001). We present the reflection high energy electron diffraction analysis along with x-ray diffraction in order to demonstrate the crystalline quality of the film, and we give atomic models to explain the epitaxial orientation relationships between the crystal lattices of the substrate, GaN layer, and Mn 3 Sn layer. Importantly, we discuss the film lattice parameters as compared to expected values, demonstrating negligible strain both in-plane and out-of-plane . Atomic force microscopy reveals an epitaxial columnar growth mode characterized by flat-top-mesa islands, while scanning tunneling microscopy shows the atomically smooth surfaces of the mesa-top structures. Finally, Rutherford backscattering informs the stoichiometry of the film as well as the layer thicknesses.
Chiral antiferromagnetic material↗
Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin Films
Abstract Actinide materials have various applications that range from nuclear energy to quantum computing. Most current efforts have focused on bulk actinide materials. Tuning functional properties by using strain engineering in epitaxial thin films is largely lacking. Using uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) as a model system, in this work, the authors explore strain engineering in actinide epitaxial thin films and investigate the origin of induced ferromagnetism in an antiferromagnet UO 2 . It is found that UO 2+ x thin films are hypostoichiometric ( x <0) with in‐plane tensile strain, while they are hyperstoichiometric ( x >0) with in‐plane compressive strain. Different from strain engineering in non‐actinide oxide thin films, the epitaxial strain in UO 2 is accommodated by point defects such as vacancies and interstitials due to the low formation energy. Both epitaxial strain and strain relaxation induced point defects such as oxygen/uranium vacancies and oxygen/uranium interstitials can distort magnetic structure and result in magnetic moments. This work reveals the correlation among strain, point defects and ferromagnetism in strain engineered UO 2+ x thin films and the results offer new opportunities to understand the influence of coupled order parameters on the emergent properties of many other actinide thin films.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Strain-modulated helimagnetism and emergent magnetic phase diagrams in highly crystalline MnP nanorod films
Here, we explore strain-modulated helimagnetism in highly crystalline MnP nanorod films grown on Si(100) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. The strained MnP film exhibits a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition at $T_C$ ~ 279 K, and the FM to helical phase transition at $T_N$ ~ 110 K. The value of $T_N$ is greater than $T_N$ ~ 47K for the MnP single crystal, indicating strong strain-modulated helimagnetic states in the MnP nanorod film. The presence of significant thermal hysteresis in the helical phase indicates the coexistence of competing magnetic interactions, leading to the first-order metamagnetic transition. Similar to its single-crystal counterpart, an anisotropic magnetic effect is observed in the MnP film, which is independently confirmed by magnetic hysteresis loop and radio-frequency transverse susceptibility (TS) measurements. The evolution of the screw to the cone and fan phases is precisely tracked from magnetization vs magnetic field/temperature measurements. The temperature dependence of the anisotropy fields, extracted from the TS spectra, yields further insight into the competing nature of the magnetic phases. Unfolding of the different helical phases at $\textit{T}$ < 120 K (~$T_N$) is analyzed by the temperature- and field-dependent magnetic entropy change. Based on these findings, the comprehensive magnetic phase diagrams of the MnP nanorod film are constructed for both the in-plane and out of plane magnetic field directions, revealing emergent strain/dimensionality-driven helical magnetic features that are absent in the magnetic phase diagram of the MnP single crystal.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Role of locally polar regions in the superconductivity of SrTiO 3
Understanding the interaction between polar and superconducting order parameters may hold the key to several classes of superconductors that remain poorly understood, including SrTiO 3 and several tellurides. Here we show that doped, strained SrTiO 3 films can exhibit both global or local polar order, respectively, depending on the amount of epitaxial mismatch strain, thereby providing a platform to understand how inversion symmetry breaking affects superconductivity. We find that the superconducting critical temperature correlates with the length scale of polar order. In particular, the transition temperature is enhanced when polar nanodomains are sufficiently large or, in the extreme limit, films are globally ferroelectric. In these cases, the Cooper pairs reside in a noncentrosymmetric environment. Conversely, low transition temperatures are found when the nanodomains are small. The findings point to the length scale of polar nanodomains and spin-orbit coupling as important parameters controlling the superconductivity of SrTiO 3 . Furthermore, the ability to control the size of the polar domains opens up new opportunities to design and control the nature of superconductivity in a wide range of materials.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Strain-Modulated Slater-Mott Crossover of Pseudospin-Half Square-Lattice in ( SrIrO 3 ) 1 / ( SrTiO 3 ) 1 Superlattices
Here, we report on the epitaxial strain-driven electronic and antiferromagnetic modulations of a pseudospin-half square lattice realized in superlattices of (SrIrO 3 ) 1 /(SrTiO 3 )1. With increasing compressive strain, we find the low-temperature insulating behavior to be strongly suppressed with a corresponding systematic reduction of both the Néel temperature and the staggered moment. However, despite such a suppression, the system remains weakly insulating above the Néel transition. The emergence of metallicity is observed under large compressive strain but only at temperature far above the Néel transition. These behaviors are characteristics of the Slater-Mott crossover regime, providing a unique experimental model system of the spin-half Hubbard Hamiltonian with a tunable intermediate coupling strength.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Strain-induced majority carrier inversion in ferromagnetic epitaxial LaCo O 3 - δ thin films
Tensile-strained LaCoO 3-δ thin films are ferromagnetic, in sharp contrast to the zero-spin bulk, although no clear consensus has emerged as to the origin of this phenomenon. While magnetism has been heavily studied, relatively little attention has been paid to electronic transport, due to the insulating nature of the strain-stabilized ferromagnetic state. Here, structure, magnetism, and transport are studied in epitaxial LaCoO 3-δ films (10–22-nm thick) on various substrates (from 1.4% compressive to 2.5% tensile strain), using synchrotron x-ray diffraction, scanning probe and transmission electron microscopy, magnetometry, polarized neutron reflectometry, resistivity, and Hall effect. High quality, smooth films are obtained, exhibiting superstructures associated with both oxygen vacancy ordering and periodic in-plane ferroelastic domains. Consistent with prior work, ferromagnetism with an approximately 80–85 K Curie temperature is observed under tension; polarized neutron reflectometry confirms a relatively uniform magnetization depth profile, albeit with interfacial dead layer formation. Electrical transport is found to have similar semiconducting nature to bulk, but with reduced resistivity and activation energy. Hall effect measurements, however, reveal a striking inversion of the majority carrier type, from p-type in the bulk and under compression to n-type under tension. While thus far overlooked, ferromagnetism in epitaxial LaCoO 3-δ films is thus directly correlated with n-type behavior, providing important insight into the ferromagnetic state in this system. Here, aided by density functional theory calculations, these results are interpreted in terms of tensile-strain-induced orbital occupation and band structure changes, including a rapid decrease in effective mass at the e g -derived conduction band minimum, and corresponding increase at the valence band maximum.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Transmission Electron Microscope Measures Lattice Parameters
Convergent-beam microdiffraction (CBM) in thermionic-emission transmission electron microscope (TEM) is technique for measuring lattice parameters of nanometer-sized specimens of crystalline materials. Lattice parameters determined by use of CBM accurate to within few parts in thousand. Technique developed especially for use in quantifying lattice parameters, and thus strains, in epitaxial mismatched-crystal-lattice multilayer structures in multiple-quantum-well and other advanced semiconductor electronic devices. Ability to determine strains in indivdual layers contributes to understanding of novel electronic behaviors of devices.
Pike, William T.↗
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↗
Strain Effects in SrHfO 3 Films Grown by Hybrid Molecular Beam Epitaxy
Perovskite oxide heterostructures host a large number of interesting phenomena such as ferroelectricity, which are often driven by octahedral distortions in the crystal that may induce polarization. SrHfO 3 (SHO) is a perovskite oxide with a pseudocubic lattice parameter of 4.08 Å that previous density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest can be stabilized in a ferroelectric P4mm phase when stabilized with sufficient compressive strain. Additionally, it is insulating and possesses a large band gap and a high dielectric constant, making it an ideal candidate for oxide electronic devices. Here, to test the viability of epitaxial strain as a driver of ferroic phase transitions, SHO films were grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy (hMBE) with a tetrakis(ethylmethylamino)hafnium(IV) source on GdScO 3 and TbScO 3 substrates. Strained SHO phases were characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy to determine the space group of the strained films, with the results compared to those of DFT-optimized models of phase stability versus strain. Contrary to past reports, we find that compressively strained SrHfO 3 undergoes octahedral tilt distortions without associated ferroelectric polarization and most likely takes on the I4/mcm phase with the a 0 a 0 c – tilt pattern.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Observation of Coexisting Weak Localization and Superconducting Fluctuations in Strained Sn 1– x In x Te Thin Films
Topological superconductors have attracted tremendous excitement as they are predicted to host Majorana zero modes that can be utilized for topological quantum computing. Candidate topological superconductor Sn 1–x In x Te thin films (0 < x < 0.3) grown by molecular beam epitaxy and strained in the (111) plane are shown to host quantum interference effects in the conductivity coexisting with superconducting fluctuations above the critical temperature T c . An analysis of the normal state magnetoresistance reveals these effects. A crossover from weak antilocalization to localization is consistently observed in superconducting samples, indicating that superconductivity originates dominantly from charge carriers occupying trivial states that may be strongly spin–orbit split. A large enhancement of the conductivity is observed above T c , indicating the presence of superconducting fluctuations. Furthermore, our results motivate a re-examination of the debated pairing symmetry of this material when subjected to quantum confinement and lattice strain.
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
Vertical nanoscale strain-induced electronic localization in epitaxial La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 films with ZrO2 nanopillar inclusions
Abstract Unusual electrical transport properties associated with weak or strong localization are sometimes found in disordered electronic materials. Here, we report experimental observation of a crossover of electronic behavior from weak localization to enhanced weak localization due to the spatial influence of disorder induced by ZrO 2 nanopillars in (La 2/3 Sr 1/3 MnO 3 ) 1− x :(ZrO 2 ) x ( x = 0, 0.2, and 0.3) nanocomposite films. The spatial strain regions, identified by scanning transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution x-ray diffraction, induce a coexistence of two-dimentional (2D) and three-dimentional (3D) localization and switches to typical 2D localization with increasing density of ZrO 2 pillars due to length scale confinement, which interestingly accords with enhancing vertically interfacial strain. Based on the excellent agreement of our experimental results with one-parameter scaling theory of localization, the enhanced weak localization exists in metal range close to the fixed point. These films provide a tunable experimental model for studying localization in particular the transition regime by appropriate choice of the second epitaxial phase. Graphical Abstract
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Localized Strain Measurement in Molecular Beam Epitaxially Grown Chalcogenide Thin Films by Micro-Raman Spectroscopy
Not Available
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Band lineup in GaAs(1-x)Sbx/GaAs strained-layer multiple quantum wells grown by molecular-beam epitaxy
GaAs(1-x)Sbx/GaAs strained-layer multiple quantum wells have been grown by molecular-beam epitaxy and characterized by room-temperature photoreflectance (PR). The PR spectra denote that high-quality layers can be grown in the GaAs(1-x)Sbx/GaAs system. The method for determining the band offset Q(vh) is discussed in this strained-layer system.
Ji, G.↗
Real-Time Monitoring of Strain Accumulation and Relief during Epitaxy of Ultrathin Co Ferrite Films with Varied Co Content
Ultrathin Co x Fe 3-x O 4 films of high structural quality and with different Co content (x = 0.6–1.2) were prepared by reactive molecular beam epitaxy on MgO(001) substrates. Epitaxy of these ferrite films is extensively monitored by means of time-resolved (operando) X-ray diffraction recorded in out-of-plane geometry to characterize the temporal evolution of the film structure. The Co ferrite films show high crystalline ordering and smooth film interfaces independent of their Co content. All Co x Fe 3-x O 4 films exhibit enhanced compressive out-of-plane strain during the early stages of growth, which partly releases with increasing film thickness. When the Co content of the ferrite films increases, the vertical-layer distances increase, accompanied by slightly increasing film roughnesses. The latter result is supported by surface-sensitive low-energy electron diffraction as well as X-ray reflectivity measurements on the final films. In contrast, the substrate–film interface roughness decreases with increasing Co content, which is confirmed with X-ray reflectivity measurements. In addition, the composition and electronic structure of the ferrite films is characterized by means of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy performed after film growth. The experiments reveal the expected increasing Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ cation ratios for a higher Co content.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Emergent interlayer magnetic order via strain-induced orthorhombic distortion in the 5 d Mott insulator Sr 2 IrO 4
In this letter, we report a La 2 CuO 4 -like interlayer antiferromagnetic order in Sr2IrO4 films with large orthorhombic distortion (>1.5%). The biaxial lattice strain in epitaxial heterostructures of Sr 2 IrO 4 /Ca 3 Ru 2 O 7 lowers the crystal symmetry of Sr 2 IrO 4 from tetragonal ($C_4$) to orthorhombic ($C_2$), guiding the Ir $5d J_{text{eff}}$ = 1/2 pseudospin moment parallel to the elongated b axis via magnetic anisotropy. From resonant x-ray scattering experiments, we observed an antiferromagnetic order in the orthorhombic Sr 2 IrO 4 film whose interlayer stacking pattern is inverted from that of the tetragonal Sr 2 IrO 4 crystal. This interlayer stacking is similar to that of the orthorhombic La 2 CuO 4 , implying that the asymmetric interlayer exchange interactions between $\textit{a}$ and $\textit{b}$ directions exceed the anisotropic interlayer pseudodipolar interaction. Our result suggests that strain-induced distortion can provide a delicate knob for tuning the long-range magnetic order in quasi-two-dimensional systems by evoking the competition between the interlayer exchange coupling and the pseudodipolar interaction.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗