arXiv subjects

J. Santamaria

Publications and source records attributed to J. Santamaria.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Size-dependence and high temperature stability of radial vortex magnetic textures imprinted by superconductor stray fields

Swirling spin textures, including topologically non-trivial states, such as skyrmions, chiral domain walls, and magnetic vortices, have garnered significant attention within the scientific community due to their appeal from both fundamental and applied points of view. However, their creation, controlled manipulation, and stability are typically constrained to certain systems with specific crystallographic symmetries, bulk, or interface interactions, and/or a precise stacking sequence of materials. Here, we make use of the stray field of YBa2Cu3O7-{\delta} superconducting microstructures in ferromagnet/superconductor hybrids to imprint magnetic radial vortices in permalloy at temperatures below the superconducting transition temperature (TC), a method easily extended to other ferromagnets with in-plane magnetic anisotropy. We examine the size dependence and temperature stability of the imprinted magnetic configurations. We show that above TC, magnetic domains retain memory of the imprinted spin texture. Micromagnetic modelling coupled with a SC field model reveals that the stabilization mechanism leading to this memory effect is mediated by microstructural defects. Superconducting control of swirling spin textures below and above the superconducting transition temperature holds promising prospects for shaping spintronics based on magnetic textures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Tuning up or down the critical thickness in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 through in situ deposition of metal overlayers

The quasi 2D electron system (q2DES) that forms at the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 has attracted much attention from the oxide electronics community. One of its hallmark features is the existence of a critical LaAlO3 thickness of 4 unit-cells (uc) for interfacial conductivity to emerge. In this paper, the chemical, electronic, and transport properties of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 samples capped with different metals grown in a system combining pulsed laser deposition, sputtering, and in situ X-ray photoemission spectroscopy are investigated. The results show that for metals with low work function a q2DES forms at 1-2 uc of LaAlO3 and is accompanied by a partial oxidation of the metal, a phenomenon that affects the q2DES properties and triggers the formation of defects. In contrast, for noble metals, the critical thickness is increased above 4 uc. The results are discussed in terms of a hybrid mechanism that incorporates electrostatic and chemical effects.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Hybridization-controlled charge transfer and induced magnetism at correlated oxide interfaces

At interfaces between conventional materials, band bending and alignment are classically controlled by differences in electrochemical potential. Applying this concept to oxides in which interfaces can be polar and cations may adopt a mixed valence has led to the discovery of novel two-dimensional states between simple band insulators such as LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. However, many oxides have a more complex electronic structure, with charge, orbital and/or spin orders arising from correlations between transition metal and oxygen ions. Strong correlations thus offer a rich playground to engineer functional interfaces but their compatibility with the classical band alignment picture remains an open question. Here we show that beyond differences in electron affinities and polar effects, a key parameter determining charge transfer at correlated oxide interfaces is the energy required to alter the covalence of the metaloxygen bond. Using the perovskite nickelate (RNiO3) family as a template, we probe charge reconstruction at interfaces with gadolinium titanate GdTiO3. X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows that the charge transfer is thwarted by hybridization effects tuned by the rare-earth (R) size. Charge transfer results in an induced ferromagnetic-like state in the nickelate, exemplifying the potential of correlated interfaces to design novel phases. Further, our work clarifies strategies to engineer two-dimensional systems through the control of both doping and covalence.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Proximity driven commensurate pinning in YBa2Cu3O7 through all-oxide magnetic nanostructures

The design of artificial vortex pinning landscapes is a major goal towards large scale applications of cuprate superconductors. While disordered nanometric inclusions have shown to modify their vortex phase diagram and to produce enhancements of the critical current1,2, the effect of ordered oxide nanostructures remains essentially unexplored. This is due to the very small nanostructure size imposed by the short coherence length, and to the technological difficulties in the nanofabrication process. Yet, the novel phenomena occurring at oxide interfaces open a wide spectrum of technological opportunities to interplay with the superconductivity in cuprates. Here we show that the unusual long range suppression of the superconductivity occurring at the interface between manganites and cuprates affects vortex nucleation and provides a novel vortex pinning mechanism. In particular, we show evidence of commensurate pinning in YBCO films with ordered arrays of LCMO ferromagnetic nanodots. Vortex pinning results from the proximity induced reduction of the condensation energy at the vicinity of the magnetic nanodots, and yields an enhanced friction between the nanodot array and the moving vortex lattice in the liquid phase. This result shows that all-oxide ordered nanostructures constitute a powerful, new route for the artificial manipulation of vortex matter in cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Emergent Spin-Filter at the interface between Ferromagnetic and Insulating Layered Oxides

We report a strong effect of interface-induced magnetization on the transport properties of magnetic tunnel junctions consisting of ferromagnetic manganite La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_{3}$ and insulating cuprate PrBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7}$. Contrary to the typically observed steady increase of the tunnel magnetoresistance with decreasing temperature, this system exhibits a sudden anomalous decrease at low temperatures. Interestingly, this anomalous behavior can be attributed to the competition between the positive spin polarization of the manganite contacts and the negative spin-filter effect from the interface-induced Cu magnetization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2012

Measurement of Magnetic Exchange in Ferromagnet-Superconductor La2/3Ca1/3MnO3/YBa2Cu3O7 Bilayers

The existence of coherent magnetic correlations in the normal phase of cuprate high-temperature superconductors has proven difficult to measure directly. Here we report on a study of ferromagnetic-superconductor bilayers of La2/3Ca1/3MnO3/YBa2Cu3O7 (LCMO/YBCO) with varying YBCO layer thicknesses. Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we demonstrate that the ferromagnetic layer induces a Cu magnetic moment in the adjacent high-temperature superconductor. For thin samples, this moment exists at all temperatures below the Curie temperature of the LCMO layer. However, for a YBCO layer thicker than 12 unit cells, the Cu moment is suppressed for temperatures above the superconducting transition, suggesting this to be a direct measurement of magnetic coherence in the normal state of a superconducting oxide.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Effect of Interface Induced Exchange Fields on Cuprate-Manganite Spin Switches

We examine the anomalous inverse spin switch behavior in La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ (LCMO)/YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ (YBCO)/LCMO trilayers by combined transport studies and polarized neutron reflectometry. Measuring magnetization profiles and magnetoresistance in an in-plane rotating magnetic field, we prove that, contrary to many accepted theoretical scenarios, the relative orientation between the two LCMO's magnetizations is not sufficient to determine the magnetoresistance. Rather the field dependence of magnetoresistance is explained by the interplay between the applied magnetic field and the (exponential tail of the) induced exchange field in YBCO, the latter originating from the electronic reconstruction at the LCMO/YBCO interfaces.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Upper limit to magnetism in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures

Using polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR) we measured the neutron spin dependent reflectivity from four LaAlO3/SrTiO3 superlattices. This experiment implies that the upper limit for the magnetization induced by an 11 T magnetic field at 1.7 K is 2 emu/cm3. SQUID magnetometry of the superlattices sporadically finds an enhanced moment, possibly due to experimental artifacts. These observations set important restrictions on theories which imply a strongly enhanced magnetism at the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Stray field and superconducting surface spin valve effect in La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$/YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ bilayers

Electronic transport and magnetization measurements were performed on La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$/YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ (LCMO/YBCO) bilayers below the superconducting transition temperature in order to study the interaction between magnetism and superconductivity. This study shows that a substantial number of weakly pinned vortices are induced in the YBCO layer by the large out-of-plane stray field in the domain walls. Their motion gives rise to large dissipation peaks at the coercive field. The angular dependent magnetoresistance (MR) data reveal the interaction between the stripe domain structure present in the LCMO layer and the vortices and anti-vortices induced in the YBCO layer by the out-of-plane stray field. In addition, this study shows that a superconducting surface spin valve effect is present in these bilayers as a result of the relative orientation between the magnetization at the LCMO/YBCO interface and the magnetization in the interior of the LCMO layer that can be tuned by the rotation of a small $H$. This latter finding will facilitate the development of superconductive magnetoresistive memory devices. These low-magnetic field MR data, furthermore, suggest that triplet superconductivity is induced in the LCMO layer, which is consistent with recent reports of triplet superconductivity in LCMO/YBCO/LCMO trilayers and LCMO/YBCO bilayers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Direct measurement of charge transfer phenomena at ferromagnetic/superconducting oxide interfaces

YBa2Cu3O7-x/La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 ferromagnetic/superconducting interfaces are analyzed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy with monolayer resolution. We demonstrate that extensive charge transfer occurs between the manganite and the superconductor, in a manner similar to modulation-doped semiconductors, which explains the reduced critical temperatures of heterostructures. This behavior is not seen with insulating PrBa2Cu3O7 layers. Furthermore, we confirm directly that holes in the YBa2Cu3O7-x are located on the CuO2 planes.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2005

Suppressed magnetization in La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$/YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ superlattices

We studied the magnetic properties of La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ / YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ superlattices. Magnetometry showed that with increasing YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ layer thickness the saturation magnetization per La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ layer decreases. From polarized neutron reflectometry we determined that this magnetization reduction is due to an inhomogenous magnetization depth profile arising from the suppression of magnetization near the La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ / YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ interface. Electron energy loss spectroscopy indicates an increased 3d band occupation of the Mn atoms in the La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ layers at the interface. Thus, the suppression of ferromagnetic order at the La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ / YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ interface is most likely due to charge transfer between the two materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2003

Ferromagnetic/superconducting proximity effect in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 / YBa2Cu3O7 superlattices

We study the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity in high quality YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) / La0.7Ca0.3MnO3(LCMO)superlattices. We find evidence for the YBCO superconductivity depression in presence of the LCMO layers. We show that due to its short coherence length superconductivity survives in the YBCO down to much smaller thickness in presence of the magnetic layer than in low Tc superconductors. We also find that for a fixed thickness of the superconducting layer, superconductivity is depressed over a thickness interval of the magnetic layer in the 100 nm range. This is a much longer length scale than that predicted by the theory of ferromagnetic/superconducting proximity effect.

cond-mat↗

arXiv2002

Effects of epitaxial strain on the growth mechanism of YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films in [YBa2Cu3O7-x / PrBa2Cu3O7-x] superlattices

We report on the growth mechanism of YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO). Our study is based on the analysis of ultrathin, YBa2Cu3O7-x layers in c-axis oriented YBa2Cu3O7-x / PrBa2Cu3O7-x superlattices. We have found that the release of epitaxial strain in very thin YBCO layers triggers a change in the dimensionality of the growth mode. Ultrathin, epitaxially strained, YBCO layers with thickness below 3 unit cells grow in a block by block two dimensional mode coherent over large lateral distances. Meanwhile, when thickness increases, and the strain relaxes, layer growth turns into three dimensional, resulting in rougher layers and interfaces.

cond-mat↗

arXiv2002

Direct Correlation between Tc and CuO2 Bilayer Spacing in YBa2Cu3O7-x

We report the effects of epitaxial strain and deoxygenation on high quality [YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO)_N / PrBa2Cu3O7 (PBCO)_5] (1000 A thick) superlattices, with 1 <= N <= 12 unit cells. High spatial resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) shows that strained, fully oxygenated YBCO layers are underdoped. Irrespective of whether underdoping is induced by strain or deoxygenation, X-ray diffraction analysis shows that Tc correlates directly with the separation of the CuO2 bilayers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Superconductivity depression in ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7-x layers in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 /YBa2Cu3O7-x superlattices

We report on the depression of the superconducting critical temperature of ultra thin YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) layers, when their thickness is reduced in presence of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) magnetic layers in [LCMO (15 u.c.)/ YBCO(N u.c.)] superlattices. The thickness of the manganite layer is kept at 15 unit cells and the YBCO thickness is varied between N=12 and N=1 unit cells. The structural analysis using x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy shows sharp interfaces with little structural disorder. While a critical temperature, Tc=85 K is found for 12 YBCO unit cells, superconductivity is completely suppressed for YBCO layer thickness below 3 unit cells. The possible interaction between superconductivity and magnetism is investigated.

cond-mat↗