No Arabic abstract
The arrangement of B~atoms in a doped Si(111)-$(sqrt{3}timessqrt{3})R30^{circ}$:B system was studied using near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). Boron atoms were deposited via segregation from the bulk by flashing the sample repeatedly. The positions of B~atoms are determined by comparing measured polarized (angle-dependent) NEXAFS spectra with spectra calculated for various structural models based on ab-initio total energy calculations. It is found that most of boron atoms are located in sub-surface L$_{1}^{c}$ positions, beneath a Si atom. However, depending on the preparation method a significant portion of B~atoms may be located elsewhere. A possible location of these non-L$_{1}^{c}$-atoms is at the surface, next to those Si atoms which form the $(sqrt{3}timessqrt{3})R30^{circ}$ reconstruction.
A study of magnetic hysteresis and Giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) in amorphous glass covered Co-Si-B and Co-Mn-Si-B wires is presented. The wires, about 10 microns in diameter, were obtained by glass-coated melt spinning technique. Samples with positive magnetostriction (MS) have a rectangular bistable hysteresis loop. A smooth hysteresis loop is observed for wires with nearly zero MS. When MS is negative, almost no hysteresis is observed. The GMI was measured in the frequency range between 20 Hz and 30 MHz. The shapes of the impedance versus field curves are qualitatively similar to each other for both positive and zero MS samples. Impedance is maximum at zero field, and decreases sharply in the range 10-20 Oe. For the negative MS wires, when the driving current is small, the impedance is maximum at a finite external field. The position of the maximum approaches zero with increasing current. The contributions of the moment rotation and domain wall motion in the three cases are discussed.
We have studied in-gap states in epitaxial CoFe2O4(111), which potentially acts as a perfect spin filter, grown on a Al2O3(111)/Si(111) structure by using ellipsometry, Fe L2,3-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and Fe L2,3-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), and revealed the relation between the in-gap states and chemical defects due to the Fe2+ cations at the octahedral sites (Fe2+ (Oh) cations). The ellipsometry measurements showed the indirect band gap of 1.24 eV for the CoFe2O4 layer and the Fe L2,3-edge XAS confirmed the characteristic photon energy for the preferential excitation of the Fe2+ (Oh) cations. In the Fe L3-edge RIXS spectra, a band-gap excitation and an excitation whose energy is smaller than the band-gap energy (Eg = 1.24 eV) of CoF2O4, which we refer to as below-band-gap excitation (BBGE) hereafter, were observed. The intensity of the BBGE was strengthened at the preferential excitation energy of the Fe2+ (Oh) cations. In addition, the intensity of the BBGE was significantly increased when the thickness of the CoFe2O4 layer was decreased from 11 to 1.4 nm, which coincides with the increase in the site occupancy of the Fe2+ (Oh) cations with decreasing the thickness. These results indicate that the BBGE comes from the in-gap states of the Fe2+ (Oh) cations whose density increases near the heterointerface on the bottom Al2O3 layer. We have demonstrated that RIXS measurements and analyses in combination with ellipsometry and XAS are effective to provide an insight into in-gap states in thin-film oxide heterostructures.
The electronic structure of the magnetic semiconductor Ga$_{1-x}$Cr$_{x}$N and the effect of Si doping on it have been investigated by photoemission and soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy. We have confirmed that Cr in GaN is predominantly trivalent substituting for Ga, and that Cr 3$d$ states appear within the band gap of GaN just above the N 2$p$-derived valence-band maximum. As a result of Si doping, downward shifts of the core levels (except for Cr 2$p$) and the formation of new states near the Fermi level were observed, which we attribute to the upward chemical potential shift and the formation of a small amount of Cr$^{2+}$ species caused by the electron doping. Possibility of Cr-rich cluster growth by Si doping are discussed based on the spectroscopic and magnetization data.
We report a study of the strain state of epitaxial MnSi films on Si(111) substrates in the thick film limit (100-500~AA) as a function of film thickness using polarization-dependent extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). All films investigated are phase-pure and of high quality with a sharp interface between MnSi and Si. The investigated MnSi films are in a thickness regime where the magnetic transition temperature $T_mathrm{c}$ assumes a thickness-independent enhanced value of $geq$43~K as compared with that of bulk MnSi, where $T_mathrm{c} approx 29~{rm K}$. A detailed refinement of the EXAFS data reveals that the Mn positions are unchanged, whereas the Si positions vary along the out-of-plane [111]-direction, alternating in orientation from unit cell to unit cell. Thus, for thick MnSi films, the unit cell volume is essentially that of bulk MnSi --- except in the vicinity of the interface with the Si substrate (thin film limit). In view of the enhanced magnetic transition temperature we conclude that the mere presence of the interface, and its specific characteristics, strongly affects the magnetic properties of the entire MnSi film, even far from the interface. Our analysis provides invaluable information about the local strain at the MnSi/Si(111) interface. The presented methodology of polarization dependent EXAFS can also be employed to investigate the local structure of other interesting interfaces.
The photoinduced valence dynamics of EuNi$_2$(Si$_{0.21}$Ge$_{0.79}$)$_2$ are investigated using time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy for Eu $M_5$-edge. Through the pump-probe technique with synchrotron X-ray and Ti:sapphire laser pulse, a photoinduced valence transition is observed from Eu$^{3+}$ to Eu$^{2+}$. Because the lifetime of a photoinduced state can be up to 3 ns, a metastable state is considered to be realized. By comparing the experimental results with the theoretical calculations, the photoinduced valence transition between Eu 4$f$ and conduction electrons is quantitatively evaluated.