No Arabic abstract
Understanding the damping mechanism in finite size systems and its dependence on temperature is a critical step in the development of magnetic nanotechnologies. In this work, nano-sized materials are modeled via atomistic spin dynamics, the damping parameter being extracted from Ferromagnetic Resonance (FMR) simulations applied for FePt systems, generally used for heat-assisted magnetic recording media (HAMR). We find that the damping increases rapidly close to Tc and the effect is enhanced with decreasing system size, which is ascribed to scattering at the grain boundaries. Additionally, FMR methods provide the temperature dependence of both damping and the anisotropy, important for the development of HAMR. Semi-analytical calculations show that, in the presence of a grain size distribution, the FMR linewidth can decrease close to the Curie temperature due to a loss of inhomogeneous line broadening. Although FePt has been used in this study, the results presented in the current work are general and valid for any ferromagnetic material.
Tailoring Gilbert damping of metallic ferromagnetic thin films is one of the central interests in spintronics applications. Here we report a giant Gilbert damping anisotropy in epitaxial Co$_{50}$Fe$_{50}$ thin film with a maximum-minimum damping ratio of 400 %, determined by broadband spin-torque as well as inductive ferromagnetic resonance. We conclude that the origin of this damping anisotropy is the variation of the spin orbit coupling for different magnetization orientations in the cubic lattice, which is further corroborate from the magnitude of the anisotropic magnetoresistance in Co$_{50}$Fe$_{50}$.
Magnetization reversal in exchange-spring magnet films has been investigated by a First Order Reversal Curve (FORC) technique and vector magnetometry. In Fe/epitaxial-SmCo films, the reversal proceeds by a reversible rotation of the Fe soft layer, followed by an irreversible switching of the SmCo hard layer. The switching fields are clearly manifested by separate steps in both longitudinal and transverse hysteresis loops, as well as sharp boundaries in the FORC distribution. In FeNi/polycrystalline-FePt films, particularly with thin FeNi, the switching fields are masked by the smooth and step-free major loop. However, the FORC diagram still displays a distinct onset of irreversible switching and transverse hysteresis loops exhibit a pair of peaks, whose amplitude is larger than the maximum possible contribution from the FeNi layer alone. This suggests that the FeNi and FePt layers reverse in a continuous process via a vertical spiral. The successive vs. continuous rotation of the soft/hard layer system is primarily due to the different crystal structure of the hard layer, which results in different anisotropies.
Glasses are nonequilibrium solids with properties highly dependent on their method of preparation. In vapor-deposited molecular glasses, structural organization could be readily tuned with deposition rate and substrate temperature. Herein, we show the atomic arrangement of strong network forming GeO2 glass is modified at medium range (< 2 nm) through vapor deposition at elevated temperatures. Raman spectral signatures distinctively show the population of 6-membered GeO4 rings increases at elevated substrate temperatures. Deposition near the glass transition temperature is more efficient than post-growth annealing in modifying atomic structure at medium range. The enhanced medium range organization correlates with reduction of the room temperature internal friction. Identifying the microscopic origin of room temperature internal friction in amorphous oxides is paramount to design the next generation interference coatings for mirrors of the end test masses of gravitational wave interferometers, in which the room temperature internal friction is a main source of noise limiting their sensitivity.
Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) technique has been used to study the magnetization relaxation processes and magnetic anisotropy in two different series of the Co2FeSi (CFS) Heusler alloy thin films, deposited on the Si(111) substrate by UHV sputtering. While the CFS films of fixed (50 nm) thickness, deposited at different substrate temperatures (TS) ranging from room temperature (RT) to 600^C, constitute the series-I, the CFS films with thickness t varying from 12 nm to 100 nm and deposited at 550^C make up the series-II. In series-I, the CFS films deposited at TS = RT and 200^C are completely amorphous, the one at TS = 300^C is partially crystalline, and those at TS equal 450^C, 550^C and 600^C are completely crystalline with B2 order. By contrast, all the CFS films in series-II are in the fully-developed B2 crystalline state. Irrespective of the strength of disorder and film thickness, angular variation of the resonance field in the film plane unambiguously establishes the presence of global in-plane uniaxial anisotropy. Angular variation of the linewidth in the film plane reveals that, in the CFS thin films of varying thickness, a crossover from the in-plane local four-fold symmetry (cubic anisotropy) to local two-fold symmetry (uniaxial anisotropy) occurs as t exceeds 50 nm. Gilbert damping parameter {alpha} decreases monotonously from 0.047 to 0.0078 with decreasing disorder strength (increasing TS) and jumps from 0.008 for the CFS film with t = 50 nm to 0.024 for the film with t equal 75 nm. Such variations of {alpha} with TS and t are understood in terms of the changes in the total (spin-up and spin-down) density of states at the Fermi level caused by the disorder and film thickness.
The electrical conductivity induced near the superconducting transition by thermal fluctuations was measured in different granular aluminum films. The seemingly anomalous behavior at high reduced temperatures and magnetic fields is explained by taking into account a total-energy cutoff in the superconducting fluctuation spectrum in both the direct (Aslamazov-Larkin) and the indirect (anomalous Maki-Thompson) contributions to the fluctuation effects. The analysis allowed a reliable determination of the coherence length amplitudes, which resulted to be much larger (20-48 nm) than the grains size (5-10 nm). This suggests that the grains are strongly Josephson-coupled, while the Tc value is still as high as twice the bulk value. These results could contribute to identify the mechanisms enhancing Tc in these materials.