No Arabic abstract
The effects of hydrogen (H2) and deuterium (D2) absorption were studied in two Co/Pd multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) using polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR). PNR was measured in an external magnetic field H applied in the plane of the sample with the magnetization M confined in the plane for {mu}_o H= 6.0 T and partially out of plane at 0.65 T. Nominal thicknesses of the Co and Pd layers were 2.5 {AA} and 21 {AA}, respectively. Because of these small values, the actual layer chemical composition, thickness, and interface roughness parameters were determined from the nuclear scattering length density profile ({rho}_n) and its derivative obtained from both x-ray reflectivity and PNR, and uncertainties were determined using Monte Carlo analysis. The PNR {rho}_n showed that although D2 absorption occurred throughout the samples, absorption in the multilayer stack was modest (0.02 D per Pd atom) and thus did not expand. Direct magnetometry showed that H2 absorption decreased the total M at saturation and increased the component of M in the plane of the sample when not at saturation. The PNR magnetic scattering length density ({rho}_m) revealed that the Pd layers in the multilayer stack were magnetized and that their magnetization was preferentially modified upon D2 absorption. In one sample, a modulation of M with twice the multilayer period was observed at {mu}_o H= 0.65 T, which increased upon D2 absorption. These results indicate that H2 or D2 absorption decreases both the PMA and total magnetization of the samples. The lack of measurable expansion during absorption indicates that these changes are primarily governed by modification of the electronic structure of the material.
The magnetic properties of (111)-oriented Rh/Co/Pt and Pd/Co/Pt multilayers are investigated by first-principles calculations. We focus on the interlayer exchange coupling, and identify thicknesses and composition where a typical ferromagnet or a synthetic antiferromagnet across the spacer layer is formed. All systems under investigation show a collinear magnetic intralayer order, but the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is rather strong for Pd-based systems, so that single magnetic skyrmions can be expected. In general, we find a strong sensitivity of the magnetic parameters (especially the DMI) in Rh-based systems, but Pd-based multilayers are less sensitive to structural details.
Mg-Ti alloys have uncommon optical and hydrogen absorbing properties, originating from a spinodal-like microstructure with a small degree of chemical short-range order in the atoms distribution. In the present study we artificially engineer short-range order by depositing Pd-capped Mg/Ti multilayers with different periodicities and characterize them both structurally and optically. Notwithstanding the large lattice parameter mismatch between Mg and Ti, the as-deposited metallic multilayers show good structural coherence. Upon exposure to H2 gas a two-step hydrogenation process occurs, with the Ti layers forming the hydride before Mg. From in-situ measurements of the bilayer thickness L at different hydrogen pressures, we observe large out-of-plane expansions of the Mg and Ti layers upon hydrogenation, indicating strong plastic deformations in the films and a consequent shortening of the coherence length. Upon unloading at room temperature in air, hydrogen atoms remain trapped in the Ti layers due to kinetic constraints. Such loading/unloading sequence can be explained in terms of the different thermodynamic properties of hydrogen in Mg and Ti, as shown by diffusion calculations on a model multilayered systems. Absorption isotherms measured by hydrogenography can be interpreted as a result of the elastic clamping arising from strongly bonded Mg/Pd and broken Mg/Ti interfaces.
Depth-grading of magnetic anisotropy in perpendicular magnetic media has been predicted to reduce the field required to write data without sacrificing thermal stability. To study this prediction, we have produced Co/Pd multilayers with depth-dependent Co layer thickness. Polarized neutron reflectometry shows that the thickness grading results in a corresponding magnetic anisotropy gradient. Magnetometry reveals that the anisotropy gradient promotes domain nucleation upon magnetization reversal - a clear experimental demonstration of the effectiveness of graded anisotropy for reducing write-field.
[Co/Ni] multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) have been researched and applied in various spintronic applications. Typically the seed layer material is studied to provide the desired face-centered cubic (textit{fcc}) texture to the [Co/Ni] to obtain PMA. The integration of [Co/Ni] in back-end-of-line (BEOL) processes also requires the PMA to survive post-annealing. In this paper, the impact of NiCr, Pt, Ru, and Ta seed layers on the structural and magnetic properties of [Co(0.3 nm)/Ni(0.6 nm)] multilayers is investigated before and after annealing. The multilayers were deposited textit{in-situ} on different seeds via physical vapor deposition at room temperature. The as-deposited [Co/Ni] films show the required textit{fcc}(111) texture on all seeds, but PMA is only observed on Pt and Ru. In-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA) is obtained on NiCr and Ta seeds, which is attributed to strain-induced PMA loss. PMA is maintained on all seeds after post-annealing up to 400$^{circ}$C. The largest effective perpendicular anisotropy energy ($K_U^{mathrm{eff}}approx 2times10^5$J/m$^3$) after annealing is achieved on NiCr seed. The evolution of PMA upon annealing cannot be explained by further crystallization during annealing or strain-induced PMA, nor can the observed magnetization loss and the increased damping after annealing. Here we identify the diffusion of the non-magnetic materials from the seed into [Co/Ni] as the major driver of the changes in the magnetic properties. By selecting the seed and post-annealing temperature, the [Co/Ni] can be tuned in a broad range for both PMA and damping.
The electronic and magnetic structures of $ {rm ScFe_2} $ and of its dihydride $ {rm ScFe_2H_2} $ are self-consistently calculated within the density functional theory (DFT) using the all electron augmented spherical wave (ASW) method with the local spin density approximation (LSDA) for treating effects of exchange and correlation. The results of the enhancement of the magnetization upon hydrogen insertion are assessed within an analysis of the chemical bonding properties from which we suggest that both hydrogen bond with iron and cell expansion effects play a role in the change of the magnitude of magnetization. In agreement with average experimental findings for both the intermetallic system and its dihydride, the calculated Fermi contact terms $H_{FC}$ of the $^{57}$Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy for hyperfine field, at the two iron sites, exhibit an original inversion for the order of magnitudes upon hydriding.