The current induced magnetic dynamics of a nano-scale pseudo-spin-valve (PSV) structure was theoretically studied. The spin relaxation mechanisms and the influence of ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic (FM/NM) interfaces on the current polarization were investigated, and a modified magnetic dynamic equation was developed. Both the free layer's local magnetic moments and itinerant electrons' spins were regarded as a macro-spin, whose movement was resulted from two items: spin relaxation due to the magnetic damping and spin accumulation due to the polarized current. The injected current not only produces a spin transfer torque, but also alters the effective magnetic field, and thus affects the damping. Therefore, the damping is nonlinear and correlated to the current. Based on the analysis of the competition between magnetic damping and spin accumulation, the dynamic behaviors of magnetization switching and oscillation can be explained.

Magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were used to study the magnetic properties and the growth modes of thin Ni films on 1ML Co/Pt(111) and Co /1 ML Ni/Pt(111) at room temperature (RT). Because the lattice constants of Co and Ni are only slightly different, both growth modes have similar behavior. They grow 2 ML in layer-by-layer mode then turn to 3-D island growth. On the contrary, the magnetic properties have great difference. For Ni/1 ML Co/Pt(111), the easy axis of magnetization changed from the canted state to the out-of-plane direction when the Co buffer layer was inserted into Ni/Pt(111). The perpendicular magnetization persisted to 24 ML of Co thin films. This spin reorientation transition can be understood by the change of effective interface magnetic anisotropy. For Co/1 ML Ni/Pt(111), Kerr signal was not observed when the thickness of Co film was below 3 ML, and the easy axis of the magnetization was in-plane when the thickness of Co was greater than 3 ML at RT. The polar Kerr signal appeared after the sample was annealed at 450 K for 1 ML of Co. Further studies in the magnetic properties and surface composition of 3 ML Co/1 ML Ni/Pt(111) during an annealing process showed that the out-of-plane magnetization enhanced significantly when Co and Ni atoms diffused into the Pt substrate.

The Curie temperature (TC) of both systems can be adjusted by changing the annealing temperature. Measuring at RT, TC decreased when the annealing temperature rose. However, the change rates were different in these two mirror systems. The possible mechanism of the evolution in the magnetic property with the interface structure was comparatively discussed.

The magnetism of CoRh nanoparticles (NPs) is investigated experimentally and theoretically. NPs of about 2 nm diameter have been synthesized by decomposition of organometallic precursors in mild conditions of pressure and temperature, under hydrogen atmosphere and in the presence of a polymer matrix. The magnetic properties are determined by SQUID and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. All the studied CoRh clusters are magnetic with an average spin moment per atom that is significantly larger than the one of macroscopic crystals or alloys with similar concentrations. The experimental results and the comparison with theory suggest that the most likely chemical arrangement is a Rh core with a Co-rich outer shell and some degree of intermixing at the CoRh interface. A detailed analysis of the theoretical results from a local perspective shows that the spin and orbital moments of the Co and Rh atoms at the interface are largely responsible for the enhancement of the magnetization.

When diamagnetic materials are exposed to an external magnetic field, a weak magnetic field in the opposite direction to the external field is induced and a magnetic force is generated causing diamagnetic materials to be expelled from the external magnetic field. The magnitude of the force increases with increase of the magnitude of diamagnetic susceptibility, χm. In this study, the levitation of graphite in the magnetic field was investigated.

Cobalt nanoparticles were synthesized by means of a hot metal reduction reaction with cobalt chloride as precursor material. The size of cobalt nanoparticles was controlled by the choice of surfactant and the molar ratio of surfactant-to-reagent. Surfactants with larger alkane side chains yielded a smaller average nanoparticle size (diameter) and tighter size distribution, as these chains provided steric hindrance to the growth of the nanoparticles after initial nucleation. For each alkane side chain, a high molar ratio of surfactant-to-reagent (HSR) rendered nanoparticles with smaller particle size, while a low molar ratio of surfactant-to-reagent (LSR) produced larger nanoparticles. Measurements on transmission electron microscope images of cobalt particles synthesized with tri-octylphosphine revealed an average particle size of 6.9 nm (HSR) and 9.1 nm (LSR), while particles synthesized with tri-butylphosphine had a mean diameter of 12.5 nm (HSR) and 14.9 nm (LSR). X-ray diffraction profiles indicated that particles had metastable ε-cobalt structure. Room temperature magnetization measurements showed ferromagnetic behavior with highly square M-H loops indicative of single domain particles with coercive fields in the range of 400–500 Oe.

Nife alloys are potential candidates for the development of planar fluxgate magnetic microsensors. In this work, electrodeposition was used to produce NiFe thin films on top of copper substrates. When using this technique the variation of the electric potential, and thus the current density, alters the final stoichiometry of the deposited films, while the final thickness is determined by the total deposition time. We used current densities varying from 4.0 mA/cm2 to 28 mA/cm2, with steps of 4.0 mA/cm2. For each current density, total deposition times of 10, 20, 30 and 40 minutes were used. The morphology was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, structure was characterized using X-ray diffraction experiments, and the composition of the films were determined using energy dispersive spectroscopy. The magnetic properties were investigated evaluating the materials hysteresis cycle. The materials were optimized aiming for lowest coercivity values, and the final result was about 0.215 kA/m.

Magnetite nanoparticles have been synthesized by thermal decomposition of hematite (Fe2O3) powder in the presence of high boiling point solvent. The mixture of hematite and 1- octadecene solvent was heated and stirred in nitrogen gas at the temperature of 320 °C for the desired time (∼2 to 28 hrs). The influence of the reaction time on transformation process was analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS), and magnetic measurements. XRD patterns show that the phase of intermediate was composed of spinel phase and corundum phase (α-Fe2O3). The 57Fe Mössbauer spectra show that the spinel phase originated from the magnetite particles. The structure transformation proportion of hematite to magnetite strongly depends on reaction times. After reflux for 28 hrs the hematite-magnetite transformation was complete. The mean crystallite size of pure phase of magnetite particles is about 40 nm. The saturation magnetization increases with the reaction time, which corresponds to an increase of concentration of magnetite in the samples. A pronounced feature of the Hc and σr/σs observed in samples is the steplike change which appears at 125 K and is characteristic of the Verwey transition. The hyperfine parameters of Mössbauer spectrum measured at low temperature also indicate that the Verwey phase transition occurs. In other words, the Verwey transition is an indication that the magnetite particles exactly grew up in the synthesized compounds. This thermal decomposition process provided a method to prepare pure magnetite as well as magnetite/hematite nanocomposites useful for various magnetic applications.

We have fabricated ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic (FM/NM) metal heterojunctions for the detection of the spin accumulation effect in different nonmagnetic metals. The polycrystalline heterojunctions are prepared by high resolution electron beam lithography (HR-EBL) and a special oblique evaporation technique. The ferromagnetic (FM) and the nonmagnetic (NM) metal are evaporated on top of each other in a single evaporation process to achieve a clean interface between the two metals. The spin accumulation effect is detected in nonmagnetic copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al), from which we determine the polarization of the interface between the ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic metal.

We investigate spin wave propagation and interference in conducting ferromagnetic nanostructures for potential application in spin wave based logic circuits. The novelty of this approach is that information transmission is accomplished without charge transfer. A bit of information is encoded into the phase of spin wave propagating in a nanometer thick ferromagnetic film. A set of “AND”, “NOR”, and “NOT” logic gates can be realized in one device structure by utilizing the effect of spin wave superposition. We present experimental data on spin wave transport in 100nm CoFe films at room temperature obtained by the propagation spin wave spectroscopy technique. Spin wave transport has been studied in the frequency range from 0.5 GHz to 6.0 GHz under different configurations of the external magnetic field. Both phase and amplitude of the spin wave signal are sensitive to the external magnetic field showing 60Deg/10G and 4dB/20G modulation rates, respectively. Potentially, spin wave based logic circuits may compete with traditional electron-based ones in terms of logic functionality and power consumption. The shortcomings of the spin wave based circuits are discussed.

We report on a preferred phase shift ΔΦ0 between a spin torque oscillator (STO) and an ac current (Iac) injected at the intrinsic frequency (fSTO) of the STO. In the in-plane precession mode (IP) the STO adjusts to a state where its resistance (or voltage) lags Iac about a quarter of a wave length (ΔΦ0 = 87°−94°). In the IP mode ΔΦ0 increases somewhat with the dc current. As the precession changes into the Out-Of-Plane (OOP) mode, ΔΦ0 jumps by about 180°, i.e. the STO resistance now precedes Iac by about a quarter of a wave length (|ΔΦ0| = 86°). At the IP/OOP boundary, the ac current mixes the two oscillation modes and both periodic and chaotic oscillations are observed. As a consequence of mixing, subharmonic terms appear in the STO signal. ΔΦ0 can furthermore be tuned by changing one or more of the anisotropy field, the demagnetizing field or the applied field. At the IP/OOP boundary, Iac mixes the two oscillation modes. The intrinsic ΔΦ0 will impact any circuit design based on STO technology and will e.g. have direct consequences for phase locking in networks of serially connected STOs.

We fabricated and patterned magnetic dots from Co/Pt multilayers and optimized the structure for strong inter-dot magnetic coupling. SQUID measurements show strong perpendicular anisotropy with characteristic sheared hysteresis loops. The films are fabricated by RF-magnetron sputtering and then patterned with a 50 keV Ga+ focused ion beam (FIB) tool. This keeps surface roughness low and feature sizes in the hundred-nanometer-regime are achievable by a single processing step. Simulations with the well established SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) code give an estimation of the beam diameter and help to estimate the FIB patterning potential. In order to show antiferromagnetic ordering large 48×48 dot arrays of (200×200) nm2 single domain dots were fabricated. The samples were demagnetized and scanned by magnetic force microscopy (MFM) in the remanent state. The demagnetized checkerboard patterns show no frustration over hundreds of dots. The fabricated single domain magnets are prospective building blocks for field-coupled magnetic logic devices.

Ni-Mn-Ga magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs) tend to undergo a large deformation upon the application of a magnetic field. This deformation is attributed to twin boundary motion in the martensitic phase. In an effort to harness the shape memory effect for use in sensors, actuators, and micro-devices, the behavior of Ni-Mn-Ga thin films is attracting attention. Substrate curvature measurements were done with Ni-Mn-Ga films with a thickness of 2.0 μm sputter-deposited on Si(100) wafer having amorphous 500 nm thick SiNx buffer layer. During the wafer bow curvature measurements, stress levels of 0.65 GPa were attained. The martensitic transformation is manifested by a stress-temperature hysteretic loop. Measurements of magnetization curves were carried out on Ni-Mn-Ga films with thickness between 0.5 and 3.0 μm. A change of the magnetization behavior from the easy-plane type for thin films to the out-of-plane easy-axis type for thick films is observed. This effect is caused by the interplay between different contributions to the overall anisotropy of film.

Ferromagnetic/non-magnetic (F/N) metallic multilayers in the Current-Perpendicular-to-Plane (CPP) geometry show giant Magnetoresistance (MR) and are promising candidates for potential use in high density storage devices. F/Al interfaces were recently shown to have large interface specific resistances that enhance the CPP-resistance. However, the CPP resistances showed instability over time at room temperature and also upon annealing to 453K. To help understand both the large interface specific resistances and their instabilities, we have undertaken cross-sectional High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) studies of both as-sputtered and annealed Py/Al and Co/Al multilayers. We find well-layered, but rough structures with local F/Al interfaces being tilted up to ˜15°from the plane perpendicular to the growth direction. HRTEM images appear to show diffuse interfaces, but a through-focus series of images suggests considerable grain overlap in the electron beam direction, thereby complicating interpretation. This combination of HRTEM imaging and EELS analysis suggests that any interfacial mixing is limited in scale, and shows no evidence of intermetallic compound formation. No obvious differences are seen between assputtered and annealed samples.

We present a simple process to prepare the hollow ceramic (CoFe2O4/SiO2) composite nanospheres and hollow alloy (Co33Fe67/SiO2) composite nanospheres. The hollow CoFe2O4/SiO2 composite nanospheres were prepared by calcining polymer/CoFe2O4/SiO2 core/shell composite spheres which were synthesized by the sol-gel method following the chemical co-precipitation. In a typical process, the monodisperse polymer poly(MMA-co-MAA) latex (450 nm) was used as a core template. To create hollow CoFe2O4/SiO2 spherical structures with various sizes of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles, the hybrid PMMA/CoFe2O4/SiO2 core-shell spheres were subsequently calcined in the temperature range from 450 to 900°C for 4h. On the other hand, the hollow Co33Fe67/SiO2 composite nanospheres were formed by reduction of hollow CoFe2O4/SiO2 nanospheres in a stream of H2/Ar mixed gas at 900°C for 8 hrs. X-ray diffraction pattern shows that the coated phase of the hollow CoFe2O4/SiO2 composite nanospheres has a cubic spinel ferrite structure. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), we found that the content of CoFe2O4 is 73 wt% in the hollow CoFe2O4/SiO2 composite shell. The scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope photographs show that the hollow spheres are uniform. According to the line scanning EDX analysis of the cross section of hollow spheres, the SiO2 is not only coated on the surface of sphere but also distributed over the shell of hollow sphere. The thickness of shell of hollow spheres is about 40 nm. Magnetic measurements show that the saturation magnetization is clearly decreases as the magnetic particle size decreased. This phenomenon can be interpreted as the effect of surface spin canting when the particle size is reduced. As for the hollow alloy (Co33Fe67/SiO2) composite nanospheres, the magnetic phase has a body-centered cubic structure and an average crystallite size of 28.7 nm. This alloy nanospheres exhibit a ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization of 170 emu/g, coercivity of 250 Oe, and Curie temperature of 968 °C. Due to metallic and ferromagnetic behavior of Co33Fe67 nanoparticles, these hollow spheres can be used as a lightweight electromagnetic wave absorber.

(Co/Pd)N multilayers with Co and Pd layer thicknesses of only a few monolayers exhibit high vertical magnetic anisotropy and have been extensively explored as recording medium candidates for high density magnetic recording applications. In the work reported here, the magnetic properties of (Co/Pd)N multilayers deposited by magnetron sputtering and designed for bit-patterned medium applications are correlated with X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) data – an approach commonly used to probe the binding energies and valence band positions. Although the XPS probing depth is limited to ˜2–3 nm, it is sufficient for the evaluation of the 1–2 topmost bilayers in a multilayer stack, and allows us to infer the relevant details of the bandstructure of the entire film. Confirming theoretical predictions, we demonstrate that the degree of d-shell hybridization at Co/Pd interfaces directly correlates with the magnitude of the magnetic anisotropy. Significantly, the highest hybridization of Pd atoms is observed for about one monolayer thick Co layers in the bilayer stack. Variation of the deposition conditions (e.g., deposition pressure) shows a measurable influence on d-electron hybridization, multilayer microstructure, and magnetic anisotropy.

Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) was used to grow chromium oxides (CrOx) on MgO(100), Al2O3(0001), SrTiO3(100), LaAlO3(100), and Si(100) under different growth conditions, including substrate temperature, O2 pressure, and laser fluence. SEM, AFM and XRD measurements show that various phases of CrOx films with different morphologies could be obtained on different substrates under the same growth conditions. Half-metallic CrO2 needle-like nanostructured films were only observed on MgO(100) under a special set of conditions.

Current-induced magnetization dynamics in a system composed of two electrically coupled spin torque oscillators (STOs) is examined. The dynamics of the STOs is modeled by the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equations modified with a Slonczewski spin-transfer torque term. To study the impact of realistic process variations on STO synchronization we let the two STOs have different in-plane anisotropy fields (Hk). The simulation also provides for a time delay τ. We construct a phase diagram of the STO synchronization as a function of Hk and direct current (Idc) at different τ. The phase diagram turns out to be quite rich with different types of synchronized precession modes. While the synchronized state is originally very sensitive to STO process variations and can only sustain up to 4% Hk variation, the addition of a small time delay dramatically improves its robustness and allows as much as 145% Hk variation in the entire out-of-plane precession regime. It is also shown that the two STOs can not only be locked in frequency, but also in phase at a given τ and the phase difference between the two STOs can be tuned by varying the dc current.

In this paper, we present a direct method to analyze the mechanism of magnetic domain reversal for a series of amorphous Dyx(FeCo)1-x magnetic thin films and whereby we obtained the distributions of the coercivities and interaction fields from 90,000 measurements of the microhysteresis loops. The standard deviations of the coercivity and the interaction field distributions, σi and σk, can be estimated by fitting the experimental data with the Gaussian- Preisach function. The results show that the interaction field decreases as Dy composition approaches the compensation point. The reversal mechanism is dominated by nucleation when σi is smaller than σk. The relationships between the magnetization reversal and interaction field strength are discussed

Carbon nanoclusters produced by high-repetition-rate laser ablation of graphite and glassy carbon in Ar exhibits para- and ferromagnetic behaviour at low temperature. The results show that the degree of remanent order is strongly dependent on the magnetic history, i.e. whether the samples were cooled under zero-field or field conditions. Such behaviour is typical for a spin glass structure where the system can exist in many different roughly equivalent spin configurations. The spin-freezing temperature is unusually high (50–300 K) compared with ≤ 15 K for typical spin glasses. The maximum in the zero-field magnetic susceptibility experiments and their field dependence indicate that there is competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic exchange pathways, accounting for the spin glass behavior and/or a low-dimensionality of the system.

FePt nanoparticles are promising materials for high-density magnetic data storage media [1] and bio-medical applications such as drug-targeting and hyperthermia [2]. To understand their magnetic properties [3] it is essential to get insights into the lattice structure of isolated nanoparticles which influence the magnetic behavior.

Typically, lattice fringes are observed with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). In this case delocalization effects disturb imaging of the lattice structure in particular if 2 to 6 nm small nanoparticles are involved. Therefore, FePt nanocrystals were investigated by reconstructing amplitude and phase of the scattered electron wave from a focal series of HRTEM images, which can produce delocalization free and direct images of the crystal structure [4]. The formation of 5-fold twinned structures of 3 to 7 nm face-centered cubic FePt nanocrystals is investigated that were grown from a colloidal solution [1]. The results are compared with abinitio density functional (DFT) calculations of FePt particles with a diameter of larger than 2 nm. Image simulations were performed with the Accelrys Cerius2 software package (Version 4.6). Good agreement between the ab-initio calculations and the experimental data is found.