Change In Magnetic Anisotropy Research Articles

In-plane magnetization orientation driven topological phase transition in OsCl3 monolayer

The quantum anomalous Hall effect resulting from the in-plane magnetization in the OsCl3 monolayer is shown to exhibit different electronic topological phases determined by the crystal symmetries and magnetism. In this Chern insulator, the Os-atoms form a two dimensional planar honeycomb structure with an easy-plane ferromagnetic configuration and the required non-adiabatic paths to tune the topology of electronic structure exist for specific magnetic orientations based on mirror symmetries of the system. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, these tunable phases are identified by changing the orientation of the magnetic moments. We argue that in contrast to the buckled system, here the Cl-ligands bring non-trivial topology into the system by breaking the in-plane mirror symmetry. The interplay between the magnetic anisotropy and electronic band-topology changes the Chern number and hence the topological phases. Our DFT study is corroborated with comprehensive analysis of relevant symmetries as well as a detailed explanation of topological phase transitions using a generic tight binding model.

Non‐Oxidative Mechanism in Oxygen‐Based Magneto‐Ionics

AbstractThe Ta/CoFeB/Pt/MgO/HfO2 system is investigated, whose magnetic anisotropy can be controlled through magneto‐ionic gating, using both ionic liquid and solid state gating, via a non‐oxidative mechanism combining reversible and irreversible gating effects. Analysis of X‐ray absorption spectroscopy at the Co and Fe edges reveals no indications of oxidation after gating, while a reversible change at the oxygen K edge suggests the involvement of oxygen species in the magneto‐ionic process. In addition, X‐ray diffraction measurements reveal that gating can irreversibly increase the crystalline volume of MgO, through an increase in the MgO/Mg(OH)2 ratio. This is in line with measurements in solid state devices showing that in a series of 150 gating cycles a reversible effect combines with a progressive increase in the strength of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy contribution that saturates after extensive cycling. Consequently, the observed gate‐induced changes in magnetic anisotropy can be attributed to the combined effects of Mg(OH)2 dehydration into MgO (irreversible) and most likely a gentle reordering of oxygen species at the CoFeB interface (reversible) leading to a non‐oxidative magneto‐ionic mechanism. This study provides valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms governing the complex magneto‐ionic phenomena, including the coexistence of both reversible and irreversible effects, and a pathway to voltage‐control of crystalline order in spintronics materials.

Reduced dead layers and magnetic anisotropy change in La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 membranes released from an SrTiO3 substrate

We investigate the magnetic properties of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) membranes released from an SrTiO3 (STO) substrate by selectively etching an Sr4Al2O7 sacrificial buffer layer. The magnetic moment and Curie temperatures (TC) of the released LSMO membranes improve significantly over their substrate-bound counterparts. We attribute these enhancements to suppressing strain and oxygen octahedral rotations that are present in substrate-bound films. Moreover, comparing the magnetic hysteresis loops obtained with magnetic fields applied along several crystallographic orientations demonstrates enhanced (weakened) perpendicular (in-plane) magnetic anisotropy in the released LSMO membranes. Our results contribute to potential applications of released LSMO membranes toward flexible spintronics devices, where high spin polarization and TC are desired.

Suppression of in-plane (001) texture component in FePt-oxide granular films by adding a carbon buffer layer

Investigation of magnetic properties and nanostructure of FePt-B2O3 granular film with carbon buffer layer (BL) of various thicknesses is reported. When the thickness of carbon BL is varied from 0 to 0.6 nm, saturation magnetization (Msfilm) is almost constant at around 750 emu/cm3 and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (Ku⊥film) changes from around 1.0×107 to 2.0×107 erg/cm3. For the granular film with the carbon BL thicker than 0.6 nm, both Msfilm and Ku⊥film decrease. The reduction of Msfilm for the granular film by adding a carbon BL may be due to the alloying of carbon into the FePt magnetic grains. The enhancement of Ku⊥film for the film with a 0.6 nm carbon BL is considered due to the reduction of the in-plane texture component which is supported by the in-plane XRD. The reduction of Ku⊥film for the film with a carbon BL thicker than 0.6 nm is considered due to random growth of magnetic grains on a continuous carbon BL which is supported by the TEM cross-section images. According to these results, the employment of an un-continuous thin carbon BL is a promising method to enhance c-axis texture orientation of the FePt-oxide granular films.

Design of a multi-modal sensor for the in-process measurement of material properties based on inductive spectroscopy

Ferromagnetic steel magnetic properties undergo isotropic and anisotropic changes during cold forming processes. Although their measurement provides an important basis for material property-controlled process control, it remains particularly challenging, as workpieces are subjected to several influencing effects, such as tilting and distance to the target. In this paper, we propose a robust contactless multi-modal sensor for the in-process measurement of material magnetic properties composed of a central excitation coil surrounded by eight receiving coils. The material magnetic permeability is measured based on a model-based evaluation of the central coil inductance spectrum compensating for the influence of the distance to the target. The sensor realizes a measurement of the magnetic anisotropy independently of the tilting effects based on an FFT-based analysis of the induced voltage in the peripheral coils. The sensor has been validated in a tensile test experiment on standard specimens. The measurement data of the tensile test reveal a systematic relation of permeability and magnetic anisotropy to the mechanical influences of stress and deformation. The measurements remained stable despite strong movements between the sensor and the target. A working distance increase of 80% resulted in variations of the magnetic permeability of only 3%. The observed changes in magnetic anisotropy are uncorrelated to tilting effects. Based on the investigation results a proposal for the design of an in-process measurement system is provided.

Skyrmion size and density in lattices

The effect of changing magnetic parameters on the size and density of skyrmions in a hexagonal lattice is investigated using micromagnetic simulations. Achieving control of the skyrmion density, for instance, by applied voltages, is a route to magnetic neuromorphic computing devices. Here, we show how small changes in the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction lead to large changes in the skyrmion size and density, which occurs for parameters that do not support isolated skyrmions. The effect of a grain structure on the density of skyrmions is modeled through the introduction of a locally varying anisotropy. This shows that a higher density of skyrmions is favored for a wider distribution of magnetic anisotropy. The results provide a clear understanding of systems where the skyrmion density can be externally controlled and assist the design of functional skyrmion-based devices.

Exploitable magnetic anisotropy and half-metallicity controls in multiferroic van der Waals heterostructure

Two-dimensional (2D) XY ferromagnets have drawn pronounced interest in recent years, but the characteristic of easy-plane magnetization restricts their application in spintronics to some extent. Here, we propose a general strategy for constructing multiferroic van der Waals heterostructures, aiming to achieve electrical control over the magnetic anisotropy in 2D XY ferromagnets. The validity of this strategy is verified by the heterostructure composed of ferromagnetic VBi2Te4 and ferroelectric In2Se3 monolayers. By manipulating the polarized states of In2Se3, the VBi2Te4 can be reversibly transformed between 2D XY and Heisenberg ferromagnets, characterized by the switching of easy magnetization axis between in-plane and out-of-plane directions. More interestingly, accompanied by the changes in magnetic anisotropy, the VBi2Te4 also demonstrates a phase transition from a semiconductor to a half-metal state, which can be ascribed to the band alignment and interfacial charge transfer. The switchable magnetic and electronic properties enable the heterostructure to be utilized in nonvolatile memory and logic devices. Additionally, the half-metallicity and magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy of the heterostructure can be effectively tuned by biaxial strain. These findings not only pave the way for electrically nonvolatile control of 2D XY ferromagnet, but also facilitate the development of interfacial magnetoelectric physics and applications.

On-Particle Hyperbranched Rolling Circle Amplification-Scaffolded Magnetic Nanoactuator Assembly for Ferromagnetic Resonance Detection of MicroRNA.

Inspired by natural molecular machines, scientists are devoted to designing nanomachines that can navigate in aqueous solutions, sense their microenvironment, actuate, and respond. Among different strategies, magnetically driven nanoactuators can easily be operated remotely in liquids and thus are valuable in biosensing. Here we report a magnetic nanoactuator swarm with rotating-magnetic-field-controlled conformational changes for reaction acceleration and target quantification. By grafting nucleic acid amplification primers, magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) actuators can assemble and be fixed with a flexible DNA scaffold generated by surface-localized hyperbranched rolling circle amplification in response to the presence of a target microRNA, osa-miR156. Net magnetic anisotropy changes of the system induced by the MNP assembly can be measured by ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy as shifts in the resonance field. With a total assay time of ca. 120 min, the proposed biosensor offers a limit of detection of 6 fM with a dynamic detection range spanning 5 orders of magnitude. The specificity of the system is validated by testing different microRNAs and salmon sperm DNA. Endogenous microRNAs extracted from Oryza sativa leaves are tested with both quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and our approach, showing comparable performances with a Pearson correlation coefficient >0.9 (n = 20).

Anisotropic microwave response in Cr1∕3TaS2 hosting chiral magnetic soliton

Chromium-intercalated hexagonal Cr1∕3TaS2 possesses exotic properties, such as high-temperature magnetic soliton, crossover of critical behavior, and nontrivial magnetism. In this study, we employ the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique to modulate and study the chiral magnetic soliton lattice (CSL) in Cr1∕3TaS2 using microwave at X-band. The experimental results show that Cr1∕3TaS2 has a particularly strong microwave response when H⊥c but very weak feedback when H//c, revealing an anisotropic microwave response. When H⊥c, the resonance peak at lower fields results from the surface barrier induced by the competition between Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction, Zeeman energy, and exchange energy. The dominant resonance is caused by the ferromagnetic mode with the twisted region as the boundary condition, which transforms into a paramagnetic resonance above the phase transition temperature (TC). Furthermore, an unusual temperature dependence of ESR spectra is revealed. The crystalline electric field (CEF) excitation owing to large strong spin–orbit coupling results in the widening of the ESR linewidth above TC. Furthermore, an abrupt shift in the resonance field Hr2 and ESR linewidth ΔHPP2 is observed around TC, which is attributed to a sudden change in spin-exchange interactions and magnetic anisotropy around TC, as Cr1∕3TaS2 was previously observed for spin interaction transition from strong anisotropic 3D-Ising type to isotropic 3D-Heisenberg magnetic interaction below TC. This work demonstrates that the ESR can detect the CSL state and investigate materials with nontrivial magnetism.

Magnetic properties of Pt/Co/Pt trilayers with W insert layer

The results of magnetic investigations of epitaxial trilayers Pt/Co/Pt asymmetrically modified by inserting W layer at the bottom or top Co interfaces in the wide ranges of Co and W layer thicknesses are reported. The samples were epitaxially grown on Pt buffer in double wedge geometry: the dCo thickness gradient of the continuous Co wedge was orthogonal to the dW thickness gradient of non-magnetic W underlayer (overlayer) deposited either as step-like or continuous wedge. Resulting samples have Pt/W/Co/Pt (Pt/Co/W/Pt) stacking sequences. The influence of (dCo, dW) on static magnetization reversal processes were studied using magnetooptical Kerr effect; Brillouin light scattering (BLS) method was applied for dynamical characterization. The magnetic dead layer thickness d0 abruptly increases until dW reaches ∼ 0.5 nm for both orderings. Then its value saturates for Pt/Co/W/Pt, while for Pt/W/Co/Pt samples a slow growth is observed. For dCo corresponding to out-of-plane magnetization the inserting of W layer leads to the strong reduction in coercivity (two orders of magnitude) and transition to in-plane magnetization in the case of Pt/W/Co/Pt ordering, while the Pt/Co/W/Pt samples demonstrates weak changes of coercivity with small change in magnetic anisotropy. The strength of interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (iDMI) and spin wave damping for selected dCo thicknesses as a function of dW were derived from BLS measurements. Inserting W with thickness dW ∼ 0.1 nm induces significant iDMI changes, iDMI saturates for dW > 0.4 nm. Our findings demonstrate the efficiency of thin W interlayer on modification of magnetic parameters in Pt/Co/Pt trilayer.

Anomalous Magnetic Anisotropy Behaviour in Co-Rich and Fe-Rich Glass-Coated Microwires under Applied Stress.

In this article, we study the effect of annealing temperature and applied stress on the magnetic properties of Fe71.80B13.27Si11.02Nb2.99Ni0.92 and Co65.34Si12.00B10.20Cr8.48Fe3.90Mo0.08 microwires. An anomalous behavior of the coercive field is observed while applying stress, indicating nontrivial changes in the microwire magnetic anisotropy. The effect of applied stimuli on the magnetic anisotropy and magnetostriction constant in both microwires is also discussed.

Electric field control of the ferromagnetic resonance linewidth in synthetic antiferromagnetic heterostructure

In this study, we present a novel approach to control the microwave properties of a Co/Ru/FeNi film, characterized by strong antiferromagnetic coupling and in plane uniaxial anisotropy. The film is fabricated on a Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) ferroelectric substrate using the magnetron oblique sputtering. Our experimental results demonstrate a remarkable non-volatile mediation of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) field and linewidth by applying the perpendicular-bias electric field. The observed asymmetric butterfly curve indicates the existence of electric mediation dominated by strain effect. Moreover, we investigate the angular dependence of FMR under different electric field, which reveals changes in magnetic anisotropy including FMR field. Notably, the FMR linewidth exhibits a distinctive four-fold anisotropy. Through microstructure analysis of the film surface, we identify that the origin of this FMR linewidth anisotropy is attributed to the two-magnon scattering induced by the oblique sputtering.

Room-temperature creation and manipulation of skyrmions in MgO/FeNiB/Mo multilayers

Magnetic skyrmions in multilayer structures are considered as a new direction for the next generation of storage due to their small size, strong anti-interference ability, high current-driven mobility, and compatibility with existing spintronic technology. In this work, we present a tunable room temperature skyrmion platform based on multilayer stacks of MgO/FeNiB/Mo. We systematically studied the creation of magnetic skyrmions in MgO/FeNiB/Mo multilayer structures with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). In these structures, the magnetic anisotropy changes from PMA to in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA) as the thickness of FeNiB layer increases. By adjusting the applied magnetic field and electric current, stable and high-density skyrmions can be obtained in the material system. The discovery of this material broadens the exploration of new materials for skyrmion and promotes the development of spintronic devices based on skyrmions.

Manipulations of Spin Wave by Photoelectrons in Ferromagnetic/Non-Ferromagnetic Alloyed Film.

Spin wave is considered an alternative carrier with great promise for information sensing. The feasible excitation and low-power manipulation of spin waves still remain a challenge. In this regard, natural light enables spin wave tunability is profoundly investigated in Co60 Al40 alloyed film. A reversible manner with 2° of the critical angle of the body spin wave is achieved successfully. Meanwhile, an eye-catching shift (817Oe) of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) field is obtained optically, leading to changes in magnetic anisotropy. Based on the modified Puszkarski's surface inhomogeneity model, the sunlight control of spin-wave resonance (SWR) can be comprehended by a photoelectron-doping-induced effective surface magnetic anisotropy change. Furthermore, the body spin wave is modulated stably with natural light illumination, confirming a non-volatile, reversible switching behavior. This work has both practical and theoretical importance for developing future sunlight-tunable magnonics/spintronics devices. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Coexistence of normal and inverse magnetocaloric effect in inhomogeneous Ni95Cr5 layers

Understanding of the coexistence of normal and inverse magnetocaloric effects (MCE) makes it promising for use in magnetic cooling applications. This study discusses the selection of Ni95Cr5 layers and their expected magnetocaloric effects for an extended temperature range (200–800 K). These layers offer a wide range of suitable magnetic ordering temperatures as a function of thicknesses. A modified phenomenological model was used to estimate the entropy changes () and relative cooling power (RCP). Under adiabatic magnetic field variation, normal and inverse MCE are computed near the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition temperatures, T C and spin−glass transition temperatures, T G , respectively. Based on their values (= −0.06 to 0.11 J kg−1-K−1) and RCP( = 7.6 to 15.5 J kg−1) at the smallest magnetic field of 0.5 kOe, which are comparable to other MCE layer materials. We provide evidence of a strong correlation between the change in magnetic anisotropy (measured in terms of MR/MS and HC) below T G , which subsequently leads to the reversal of However, after annealing these effects somewhat vanish. The current study demonstrates that adjusting thickness, in addition to Cr doping, can externally regulate soft magnetic and magnetocaloric properties to create diverse magnetic ground states for future MCE and inverse MCE functionalities.

Response of the Verwey transition in magnetite to controlled point-like disorder induced by 2.5 MeV electron irradiation

Controlled point-like disorder induced by low temperature 2.5 MeV electron irradiation was used to probe the nature of the Verwey transition in magnetite, Fe3O4. Two large single crystals, one with optimal transition temperature, TV≈121 K, and another with TV≈109 K, as well as magnetite magnetosome nanocrystals harvested from the lysed cells of the marine magnetotactic vibrio Magnetovibrio blakemorei strain MV-1, TV≈110 K, were examined. Temperature-dependent resistivity is consistent with the semiconductor-to-semiconductor (insulator) sharp, step-like Verwey transition from a state with a small bandgap of around 60 meV to a state with a large bandgap of about 300 meV. The irradiation causes an up-shift of the resistivity curves above the transition without transition smearing or broadening. It also causes an apparent down-shift of the resistivity maximum at high temperatures. In the lower TV crystal, the electron irradiation drives the transition temperature into a “forbidden” interval of TV , believed to separate the first order from the second order phase transition. Contrary to this belief, the transition itself remains sharp and hysteretic without a significant change in the hysteresis width indicating the strong 1st order character of the Verwey transition for all TV values. The separate 2nd order - looking transition is likely due to sample inhomogeneities. We conclude that the sudden change of the bandgap accompanied (or driven) by the monoclinic distortion and the change of magnetic anisotropy is the reason for the Verwey transition in magnetite and the effect of additional disorder is mostly in the smearing of the sharp gap edges near the Fermi level.

Generation of imprinted strain gradients for spintronics

In this work, we propose and evaluate an inexpensive and CMOS-compatible method to locally apply strain on a Si/SiOx substrate. Due to high growth temperatures and different thermal expansion coefficients, a SiN passivation layer exerts a compressive stress when deposited on a commercial silicon wafer. Removing selected areas of the passivation layer alters the strain on the micrometer range, leading to changes in the local magnetic anisotropy of a magnetic material through magnetoelastic interactions. Using Kerr microscopy, we experimentally demonstrate how the magnetoelastic energy landscape, created by a pair of openings, enables in a magnetic nanowire the creation of pinning sites for in-plane vortex walls that propagate in a magnetic racetrack. We report substantial pinning fields up to 15 mT for device-relevant ferromagnetic materials with positive magnetostriction. We support our experimental results with finite element simulations for the induced strain, micromagnetic simulations, and 1D model calculations using the realistic strain profile to identify the depinning mechanism. All the observations above are due to the magnetoelastic energy contribution in the system, which creates local energy minima for the domain wall at the desired location. By controlling domain walls with strain, we realize the prototype of a true power-on magnetic sensor that can measure discrete magnetic fields or Oersted currents. This utilizes a technology that does not require piezoelectric substrates or high-resolution lithography, thus enabling wafer-level production.

Effect of annealing on the magnetic anisotropy of GaMnAsP layers with graded P concentration

We have investigated the effect of annealing on the magnetic anisotropy of MBE-grown GaMnAs1−yPy film in which phosphorus content varies from 0% to 24% along the growth direction. Such variation is achieved by growing a series of GaMnAs1−yPy layers in which y is successively increased. Hall effects measurements on an as-grown graded film reveal that the bottom 80% of the film has in-plane easy axes, 10% has both in-plane and perpendicular easy axes, and the remaining 10% has a vertical easy axis. Such gradual change of magnetic anisotropy in the film from in-plane to perpendicular with increasing P concentration is in accordance with the continuous variation of strain from compressive to tensile as the P concentration increases the bottom of the film to tensile toward its tip surface. However, thermal annealing significantly changes the magnetic anisotropy of the graded GaMnAs1−yPy film. In particular, the intermediate region having both in-plane and perpendicular easy axes nearly disappears in the film after annealing, so the film is divided into two types of layers having either only in-plane or only perpendicular anisotropy. These dramatic changes in magnetic anisotropy of the graded GaMnAs1−yPy film introduced by annealing suggest that one can strategically use this process to realize orthogonal magnetic bilayers consisting of in-plane and perpendicular easy axes.

Sign reversal of planar Hall effect with temperature in La-doped Sr2IrO4 films

Electron-doped Sr2IrO4 is the best candidate for unconventional superconductivity, but direct evidence of superconductivity has not been experimentally confirmed. Therefore, it is urgent to explore the complex and rich physical properties caused by doping. The planar Hall effect (PHE) is a sensitive technique for the characterization of intrinsic magnetic properties in magnetic thin films and is applied widely in spintronic devices. In this work, the PHE for La-doped Sr2IrO4 films as a function of the magnetic field direction and temperature exhibited unique properties caused by electron doping. The amplitude of PHE is proportional to the strength of the applied magnetic field. Remarkably, as the temperature increased, a sign reversal of angle-dependent PHE occurred at 90 K, which indicated the change of magnetic anisotropy. Subsequent variable-temperature traditional Hall measurements and time-resolved optical studies eliminated different types of carrier interactions. The anisotropic magnetoresistance measurements indicated that the sign reversal can be attributed to the changes of a spin structure after electron doping, and the reversal temperature is related to the strength of ferromagnetism. These results provide a platform to study the magnetic interactions and suggest the possibility of realizing thermal controllable magnetic sensor devices in electron-doped Sr2IrO4 films.

Determination of molecular hydration in solution via changes in magnetic anisotropy.

The hydration behaviour of coordination complexes is important for understanding their roles as bio-imaging agents. Determination of hydration is difficult, and various optical and NMR-based techniques have been used. Here we use EPR spectroscopy to unambiguously demonstrate that a t-butyl-pyridyl-functionalised ErIII DOTA derivative coordinates water, while its methylphosphinate analogue does not.