When comparing a set of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) samples, the Curie temperature (TC) of the samples is an important figure of merit for the sample quality. Therefore, a reliable method to determine TC is required. Here, a method based on the analysis of the magnetization loops is proposed.
We present a study of the thickness dependence of magnetism and electrical conductivity in ultra thin La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 films grown on SrTiO3 (110) substrates. We found a critical thickness of 10 unit cells below which the conductivity of the films disappeared and simultaneously the Curie temperature (TC) increased, indicating a magnetic insulating phase at room temperature. These samples have a TC of about 560 K with a significant saturation magnetization of 1.2 +- 0.2 muB/Mn. The canted antiferromagnetic insulating phase in ultra thin films of n< 10 coincides with the occurrence of a higher symmetry structural phase with a different oxygen octahedra rotation pattern. Such a strain engineered phase is an interesting candidate for an insulating tunneling barrier in room temperature spin polarized tunneling devices.
La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) thin films under compressive strain have an orthorhombic symmetry with (1-10)o and (001)o in-plane orientations. (The subscript o denotes the orthorhombic symmetry.) Here, we grew LSMO on cubic (LaAlO3)0.3-(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 (LSAT) substrates and observed a uniaxial contribution to the magnetic anisotropy which is related to the orthorhombic crystal structure. Since the lattice mismatch is equal in the two directions, the general understanding of anisotropy in LSMO, which relates the uniaxial anisotropy to differences in strain, cannot explain the results. These findings suggest that the oxygen octahedra rotations associated with the orthorhombic structure, possibly resulting in different Mn-O-Mn bond angles and therefore a change in magnetic coupling between the [1-10]o and [001]o directions, determine the anisotropy. We expect these findings to lead to a better understanding of the microscopic origin of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy in LSMO.
Polycrystalline Mn 5 Ge 3 thin films were produced on SiO 2 using magnetron sputtering and reactive diffusion (RD) or non-diffusive reaction (NDR). In situ X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy were used to determine the layer structures, and magnetic force microscopy, superconducting quantum interference device and ferromagnetic resonance were used to determine their magnetic properties. RD-mediated layers exhibit similar magnetic properties as MBE-grown monocrystalline Mn 5 Ge 3 thin films, while NDR-mediated layers show magnetic properties similar to monocrystalline C-doped Mn 5 Ge 3 C x thin films with $0.1 leq x leq 0.2.$ NDR appears as a CMOS-compatible efficient method to produce good magnetic quality high-curie temperature Mn 5 Ge 3 thin films.
We present a comparative, theoretical study of the doping dependence of the critical temperature $T_C$ of the ferromagnetic insulator-metal transition in Gd-doped and O-deficient EuO, respectively. The strong $T_C$ enhancement in Eu$_{1-x}$Gd$_x$O is due to Kondo-like spin fluctuations on the Gd sites, which are absent in EuO$_{1-x}$. Moreover, we find that the $T_C$ saturation in Eu$_{1-x}$Gd$_x$O for large $x$ is due to a reduced activation of dopant electrons into the conduction band, in agreement with experiments, rather than antiferromagnetic long-range contributions of the RKKY interaction. The results shed light on possibilities for further increasing $T_C$.
We report on the study of the structural, magnetic and transport properties of highly textured MnBi films with the Curie temperature of 628K. In addition to detailed measurements of resistivity and magnetization, we measure transport spin polarization of MnBi by Andreev reflection spectroscopy and perform fully relativistic band structure calculations of MnBi. A spin polarization from 51pm1 to 63pm1% is observed, consistent with the calculations and with an observation of a large magnetoresistance in MnBi contacts. The band structure calculations indicate that, in spite of almost identical densities of states at the Fermi energy, the large disparity in the Fermi velocities leads to high transport spin polarization of MnBi. The correlation between the values of magnetization and spin polarization is discussed.