arXiv subjects

B. J. Hickey

Publications and source records attributed to B. J. Hickey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Key points in the determination of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction from asymmetric bubble domain expansion

Different models have been used to evaluate the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) from the asymmetric bubble expansion method using magneto-optics. Here we investigate the most promising candidates over a range of different magnetic multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy. Models based on the standard creep hypothesis are not able to reproduce the domain wall (DW) velocity profile when the DW roughness is high. Our results demonstrate that the DW roughness and the interface roughness of the sample layers are correlated. Furthermore, we give guidance on how to obtain reliable results for the DMI value with this popular method. A comparison of the results with Brillouin light scattering (BLS) measurements on the same samples shows that the BLS approach often results in higher measured values of DMI.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Manipulation of magnetic skyrmions in continuous Ir/Co/Pt multilayers

We show that magnetic skyrmions can be stabilized at room temperature in continuous Ir/Co/Pt multilayers on SiO2/Si substrate without prior application of electric current or magnetic field. While decreasing the Co thickness, tuning of the magnetic anisotropy gives rise to a transition from worm-like domain patterns to long and separate stripes. The skyrmions are clearly imaged in both states using Magnetic Force Microscopy. The density of skyrmions can be significantly enhanced after applying the in-plane field procedure. In addition, we have investigated the phase diagram of a sample deposited in the same run, but onto a SiNx membrane using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, this sample shows a different behaviour as function of magnetic field hinting to the influence of strain on the phase diagram of skyrmions in thin film multilayers. Our results provide means to manipulate skyrmion, further allowing for optimized engineering of skyrmion-based devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Pt and CoB trilayer Josephson $π$ junctions with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We report on the electrical transport properties of Nb based Josephson junctions with Pt/Co$_{68}$B$_{32}$/Pt ferromagnetic barriers. The barriers exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, which has the main advantage for potential applications over magnetisation in-plane systems of not affecting the Fraunhofer response of the junction. In addition, we report that there is no magnetic dead layer at the Pt/Co$_{68}$B$_{32}$ interfaces, allowing us to study barriers with ultra-thin Co$_{68}$B$_{32}$. In the junctions, we observe that the magnitude of the critical current oscillates with increasing thickness of the Co$_{68}$B$_{32}$ strong ferromagnetic alloy layer. The oscillations are attributed to the ground state phase difference across the junctions being modified from zero to $π$. The multiple oscillations in the thickness range $0.2~\leqslant~d_\text{CoB}~\leqslant~1.4$~nm suggests that we have access to the first zero-$π$ and $π$-zero phase transitions. Our results fuel the development of low-temperature memory devices based on ferromagnetic Josephson junctions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Enhanced spin-orbit coupling in a heavy metal via molecular coupling

Heavy metals are key to spintronics because of their high spin-orbit coupling (SOC) leading to efficient spin conversion and strong magnetic interactions. When C60 is deposited on Pt, the molecular interface is metallised and the spin Hall angle in YIG/Pt increased, leading to an enhancement of up to 600% in the spin Hall magnetoresistance and 700% for the anisotropic magnetoresistance. This correlates with Density Functional Theory simulations showing changes of 0.46 eV/C60 in the SOC of Pt. This effect opens the possibility of gating the molecular hybridisation and SOC of metals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Spin-valve Josephson junctions with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for cryogenic memory

We demonstrate a Josephson junction with a weak link containing two ferromagnets, with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and independent switching fields in which the critical current can be set by the mutual orientation of the two layers. Such pseudospin-valve Josephson junctions are a candidate cryogenic memory in an all superconducting computational scheme. Here, we use Pt/Co/Pt/CoB/Pt as the weak link of the junction with $d_\text{Co} = 0.6$ nm, $d_\text{CoB} = 0.3$ nm, and $d_\text{Pt} = 5$ nm and obtain a $60\%$ change in the critical current for the two magnetization configurations of the pseudospin-valve. Ferromagnets with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy have advantages over magnetization in-plane systems which have been exclusively considered to this point, as in principle the magnetization and magnetic switching of layers in the junction should not affect the in-plane magnetic flux.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Achiral tilted domain walls in perpendicularly magnetized nanowires

Perpendicularly magnetized nanowires exhibit distinct domain wall types depending on the geometry. Wide wires contain Bloch walls, narrow wires Néel walls. Here, the transition region is investigated by direct imaging of the wall structure using high-resolution spin-polarized scanning electron microscopy. An achiral intermediate wall type is discovered that is unpredicted by established theoretical models. With the help of micromagnetic simulations, the formation of this novel wall type is explained.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Unexpected structural and magnetic depth dependence of YIG thin films

We report measurements on yttrium iron garnet (YIG) thin films grown on both gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) and yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) substrates, with and without thin Pt top layers. We provide three principal results: the observation of an interfacial region at the Pt/YIG interface, we place a limit on the induced magnetism of the Pt layer and confirm the existence of an interfacial layer at the GGG/YIG interface. Polarised neutron reflectometry (PNR) was used to give depth dependence of both the structure and magnetism of these structures. We find that a thin film of YIG on GGG is best described by three distinct layers: an interfacial layer near the GGG, around 5 nm thick and non-magnetic, a magnetic bulk phase, and a non-magnetic and compositionally distinct thin layer near the surface. We theorise that the bottom layer, which is independent of the film thickness, is caused by Gd diffusion. The top layer is likely to be extremely important in inverse spin Hall effect measurements, and is most likely Y2O3 or very similar. Magnetic sensitivity in the PNR to any induced moment in the Pt is increased by the existence of the Y2O3 layer; any moment is found to be less than 0.02 uB/atom.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Thickness dependence study of current-driven ferromagnetic resonance in Y3Fe5O12/heavy metal bilayers

We use ferromagnetic resonance to study the current-induced torques in YIG/heavy metal bilayers. YIG samples with thickness varying from 14.8 nm to 80 nm, with Pt or Ta thin film on top, are measured by applying a microwave current into the heavy metals and measuring the longitudinal DC voltage generated by both spin rectification and spin pumping. From a symmetry analysis of the FMR lineshape and its dependence on YIG thickness, we deduce that the Oersted field dominates over spin-transfer torque in driving magnetization dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Spin relaxation through Kondo scattering in Cu/Py lateral spin valves

The temperature dependence of the spin diffusion length typically reflects the scattering mechanism responsible for spin relaxation. Within non-magnetic metals it is reasonable to expect the Elliot-Yafet mechanism to play a role and thus the temperature dependence of the spin diffusion length might be inversely proportional to resistivity. In lateral spin valves measurements have found that at low temperatures the spin diffusion length unexpected decreases. By measuring the transport properties of lateral Py/Cu/Py spin valves fabricated with different purities of Cu, we extract a spin diffusion length which shows this suppression below 30K only in the presence of the Kondo effect. We have calculated the spin-relaxation rate and isolated the contributions from magnetic impurities. We find the spin-flip probability of a magnetic impurity to be 34%. Our semi-quantitative analysis demonstrates the dominant role of Kondo scattering in spin relaxation, even in low concentrations of order 1 p.p.m., and hence accounts for the reduction in spin diffusion length observed by ourselves and others.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Interfacial coupling across a modified interface studied with ferromagnetic resonance

Using spin waves we directly probe the interface of an exchange biased Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$/Ir$_{25}$Mn$_{75}$ film which has been modified by the presence of an Au dusting layer. Combining this experimental data with a discretised simulation model, parameters relating to interface exchange coupling and modification of interface magnetisation are determined. Exchange coupling is found to be relatively uniform as gold thickness is increased, and undergoes a sudden drop at 1.5$\textrmÅ$ of gold. Interface magnetisation decreases as a function of the gold dusting thickness. Antiparallel alignment of the ferromagnet and antiferromagnet supress the interface magnetisation compared to when they are in parallel alignment. These findings imply that the interface region has specific magnetisation states which depend on the ferromagnet orientation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Spin-orbit strength driven crossover between intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of the anomalous Hall effect in epitaxial L1o FePd and FePt

We determine the composition of intrinsic as well as extrinsic contributions to the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in the isoelectronic L1o FePd and FePt alloys. We show that the AHE signal in our 30 nm thick epitaxially deposited films of FePd is mainly due to extrinsic side-jump, while in the epitaxial FePt films of the same thickness and degree of order the intrinsic contribution is dominating over the extrinsic mechanisms of the AHE. We relate this crossover to the difference in spin-orbit strength of Pt and Pd atoms and suggest that this phenomenon can be used for tuning the origins of the AHE in complex alloys.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Dynamic pinning at a Py/Co interface measured using inductive magnetometry

Broadband FMR responses for metallic single-layer and bi-layer magnetic films with total thicknesses smaller than the microwave magnetic skin depth have been studied. Two different types of microwave transducers were used to excite and detect magnetization precession: a narrow coplanar waveguide and a wide microstrip line. Both transducers show efficient excitation of higher-order standing spin wave modes. The ratio of amplitudes of the first standing spin wave to the fundamental resonant mode is independent of frequency for single films. In contrast, we find a strong variation of the amplitudes with frequency for bi-layers and the ratio is strongly dependent on the ordering of layers with respect to a stripline transducer. Most importantly, cavity FMR measurements on the same samples show considerably weaker amplitudes for the standing spin waves. All experimental data are consistent with expected effects due to screening by eddy currents in films with thicknesses below the microwave magnetic skin depth. Finally, conditions for observing eddy current effects in different types of experiments are critically examined.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Microwave screening by conduction currents in thin magnetic films: application in stripline broadband FMR

Ferromagnetic resonance in conducting magnetic bilayers was studied using microstrip transducers. It was found that excitation or suppression of standing spin waves could be achieved through enhanced inhomogeneity of eddy currents in the bilayer caused by finite thickness. This effect is observable in films with thicknesses below the magnetic skin depth and can be used to study standing spin wave modes in heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Non-equilibrium magnetism in dual spin valves

The field of spin electronics (spintronics) was initiated by the discovery of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) for which Fert[1] and Grunberg[2] were awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize for Physics. GMR arises from differential scattering of the majority and minority spin electrons by a ferromagnet (FM) so that the resistance when the FM layers separated by non-magnetic (NM) spacers are aligned by an applied field is different to when they are antiparallel. In 1996 Slonczewski[3] and Berger[4] predicted that a large spin-polarised current could transfer spin-angular momentum and so exert a spin transfer torque (STT) sufficient to switch thin FM layers between stable magnetisation states[5] and, for even higher current densities, drive continuous precession which emits microwaves[6]. Thus, while GMR is a purely passive phenomenon which ultimately depends on the intrinsic band structure of the FM, STT adds an active element to spintronics by which the direction of the magnetisation may be manipulated. Here we show that highly non-equilibrium spin injection can modify the scattering asymmetry and, by extension, the intrinsic magnetism of a FM. This phenomenon is completely different to STT and provides a third ingredient which should further expand the range of opportunities for the application of spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Spin-transfer switching and low-field precession in exchange-biased spin valve nano-pillars

Using a three-dimensional focused-ion beam lithography process we have fabricated nanopillar devices which show spin transfer torque switching at zero external magnetic fields. Under a small in-plane external bias field, a field-dependent peak in the differential resistance versus current is observed similar to that reported in asymmetrical nanopillar devices. This is interpreted as evidence for the low-field excitation of spin waves which in our case is attributed to a spin-scattering asymmetry enhanced by the IrMn exchange bias layer coupled to a relatively thin CoFe fixed layer.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Controlled enhancement or suppression of exchange biasing using impurity $δ$-layers

The effects of inserting impurity $δ$-layers of various elements into a Co/IrMn exchange biased bilayer, at both the interface, and at given points within the IrMn layer a distance from the interface, has been investigated. Depending on the chemical species of dopant, and its position, we found that the exchange biasing can be either strongly enhanced or suppressed. We show that biasing is enhanced with a dusting of certain magnetic impurities, present at either at the interface or sufficiently far away from the Co/IrMn interface. This illustrates that the final spin structure at the Co/IrMn interface is not only governed by interface structure/roughness but is also mediated by local exchange or anisotropy variations within the bulk of the IrMn.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2007

Diffusive and ballistic current spin-polarization in magnetron-sputtered L1o-ordered epitaxial FePt

We report on the structural, magnetic, and electron transport properties of a L1o-ordered epitaxial iron-platinum alloy layer fabricated by magnetron-sputtering on a MgO(001) substrate. The film studied displayed a long range chemical order parameter of S~0.90, and hence has a very strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. In the diffusive electron transport regime, for temperatures ranging from 2 K to 258 K, we found hysteresis in the magnetoresistance mainly due to electron scattering from magnetic domain walls. At 2 K, we observed an overall domain wall magnetoresistance of about 0.5 %. By evaluating the spin current asymmetry alpha = sigma_up / sigma_down, we were able to estimate the diffusive spin current polarization. At all temperatures ranging from 2 K to 258 K, we found a diffusive spin current polarization of > 80%. To study the ballistic transport regime, we have performed point-contact Andreev-reflection measurements at 4.2 K. We obtained a value for the ballistic current spin polarization of ~42% (which compares very well with that of a polycrystalline thin film of elemental Fe). We attribute the discrepancy to a difference in the characteristic scattering times for oppositely spin-polarized electrons, such scattering times influencing the diffusive but not the ballistic current spin polarization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2003

Anisotropic magnetoresistance in a 2DEG in a quasi-random magnetic field

We present magnetotransport results for a 2D electron gas (2DEG) subject to the quasi-random magnetic field produced by randomly positioned sub-micron Co dots deposited onto the surface of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. We observe strong local and non-local anisotropic magnetoresistance for external magnetic fields in the plane of the 2DEG. Monte-Carlo calculations confirm that this is due to the changing topology of the quasi-random magnetic field in which electrons are guided predominantly along contours of zero magnetic field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗