arXiv subjects

M. Granada

Publications and source records attributed to M. Granada.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Macroscopic evidence of spatial modulation of conductivity in a microtextured ferromagnetic film

A 75 nm-thick Fe0.5Pt0.5 film is a ferromagnetic metal showing striped magnetic domains in remanence at room temperature. The magnetoresistance is characterized by varying the external temperature and the in-plane magnetic field intensity, thereby affecting its magnetic structure. Qualitatively, the resistivity is well described by using the generalized Ohm's law. High-field magnetotransport properties are successfully explained by considering the competition between the expected metallic behavior and the electron-magnon interaction. In the low-field condition, we size the contribution of the magnetic texture to the macroscopic magnetotransport response by introducing a new quantity. Consistent with the microscopic modulation of the lateral conduction, low-field measurements reveal inhomogeneities attributed to the spatial distribution of ferromagnetic domains and domain walls. By carefully analyzing the macroscopic response near the coercive field, the additional contribution to the resistivity is attributed to the domain walls themselves. In fact, this term could surpass the anisotropic term at low temperatures. In summary, this study demonstrates that spatial magnetic inhomogeneities are not only macroscopically measurable but also comparable in magnitude to other regularly considered terms, mainly at low temperatures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Structural, magnetic, and nanoacoustic characterization of Co/Pt superlattices

Superlattices presenting a spatial modulation of the elastic properties appear as a main tool to reach the THz regime in nanoacoustic devices. The exploration of alternative materials with multifunctional properties remains a fertile domain of research. In this work, we study the structural, magnetic, and acoustic characteristics of nanometric superlattices made of Pt/Co. The samples present a well defined periodicity, as determined by X-ray reflectometry, whereas scanning transmission electron microscopy with local compositional analysis reveals that the superlattices present a modulation in composition instead of sharp interfaces. The policrystalline nature of the superlattices is evidenced both by X ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Magnetization measurements show a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for the higher Co concentrations. Picosecond acoustic experiments evidence that the studied samples support short-lived acoustic modes up to 900 GHz, and up to 7 acoustic echoes at lower frequencies.These are promising results for the development of magnetoacoustic devices working at ultrahigh frequencies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Magnetization process in epitaxial Fe$_{85}$Co$_{15}$ thin films via anisotropic magnetoresistance

The effects of the crystalline symmetry on the magnetotransport properties in ferromagnetic alloys are being reexamined in recent years particularly due to the role of the anisotropic magnetoresistance on the electrical detection of magnetization dynamics, which is relevant to estimate spin transport parameters such as the spin Hall angle or the damping constant. In this work we investigated the crystalline dependent anisotropic magnetoresistance in epitaxial Fe85Co15 films and discuss the magnetization process through the magnetotransport properties by varying the relative orientations between the electric current, the external magnetic field and the Fe85Co15 crystallographic directions. We have found that the anisotropic magnetoresistance ratio depends on the current direction with respect to the crystal axes of Fe85Co15 and determine a ratio of 0.20 % and 0.17 % when the current is applied along the [110] hard and [100] easy axes, respectively. We fit our experimental data using the Stoner-Wohlfarth model to describe the path followed by the magnetization during the magnetization process and to extract the anisotropy constants. The fitted cubic and uniaxial anisotropy constants are Kc = 21 kJ/m3 and Ku = 11 kJ/m3, which are comparable with reported values from the angular variation of ferromagnetic resonance experiments. Our results contribute to the understanding of the interplay between the crystalline structure and the magnetotransport properties of FeCo alloys.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Curvature-driven AC-assisted creep dynamics of magnetic domain walls

The dynamics of micrometer-sized magnetic domains in ultra-thin ferromagnetic films is so dramatically slowed down by quenched disorder that the spontaneous elastic tension collapse becomes unobservable at ambient temperature. By magneto-optical imaging we show that a weak zero-bias AC magnetic field can assist such curvature-driven collapse, making the area of a bubble to reduce at a measurable rate, in spite of the negligible effect that the same curvature has on the average creep motion driven by a comparable DC field. An analytical model explains this phenomenon quantitatively.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2020

Tuning the magneto-electrical properties of multiferroic multilayers through interface strain and disorder

Artificially engineered superlattices were designed and fabricated to induce different growth mechanisms and structural characteristics. DC sputtering was used to grow ferromagnetic (La$_{0.8}$Ba$_{0.2}$MnO$_3$) / ferroelectric (Ba$_{0.25}$Sr$_{0.75}$TiO$_3$ or BaTiO$_3$) superlattices. We systematically modified the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer to analyze dimensional and structural effects on the superlattices with different structural characteristics. The crystalline structure was characterized by X-Ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic and electronic properties were investigated by SQUID magnetometry and resistance measurements. The results show that both strain and structural disorder can significantly affect the physical properties of the systems. Compressive strain tends to increase the competition between the magnetic interactions decreasing the ferromagnetism of the samples and the localization of the charge carrier through the electron-phonon interaction. Tensile strain reduces the charge carrier localization, increasing the ferromagnetic transition temperature. Structural defects have a stronger influence on the magnetic properties than on the transport properties, reducing the ferromagnetic transition temperature while increasing the magnetic hardness of the superlattices. These results help to further understand the role of strain and interface effects in the magnetic and transport properties of manganite based multiferroic systems.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Magnetoresistance in Fe$_{1-x}$Ga$_x$ thin films presenting striped magnetic pattern: the role of closure domains and domain walls

In this work we show the existence of closure domains in Fe$_{1-x}$Ga$_x$ thin films featuring a striped magnetic pattern and study the effect of the magnetic domain arrangement on the magnetotransport properties. By means of X-ray resonant magnetic scattering, we experimentally demonstrate the presence of such closure domains and estimate their sizes and relative contribution to surface magnetization. Magnetotransport experiments show that the behavior of the magnetoresistance depends on the measurement geometry as well as on the temperature. When the electric current ows perpendicular to the stripe direction, the resistivity decreases when a magnetic field is applied along the stripe direction (negative magnetoresistance) in all the studied temperature range, and the calculations indicate that the main source is the anisotropic magnetoresistance. In the case of current flowing parallel to the stripe domains, the magnetoresistance changes sign, being positive at room temperature and negative at 100 K. To explain this behavior, the contribution to magnetoresistance from the domain walls must be considered besides the anisotropic one.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Impact of growth conditions on the domain nucleation and domain wall propagation in Pt/Co/Pt stacks

Understanding the effect of fabrication conditions on domain wall motion in thin films with perpendicular magnetization is a mandatory issue in order to tune their properties aiming to design spintronics devices based on such phenomenon. In this context, the present work intends to show how different growth conditions may affect domain wall motion in the prototypical system Pt/Co/Pt. The trilayers were deposited by dc sputtering, and the parameters varied in this study were the Co thickness, the substrate roughness, and the base pressure in the deposition chamber. Magneto-optical Kerr effect-based magnetometry and microscopy combined with X-ray reflectometry, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were adopted as experimental techniques. This permitted us to elucidate the impact on the hysteresis loops and on the domain wall dynamics, produced by different growth conditions. As other authors, we found that Co thickness is strongly determinant for both the coercive field and the domain wall velocity. On the contrary, the topographic roughness of the substrate and the base pressure of the deposition chamber evidence a selective impact on the nucleation of magnetic domains and on domain wall propagation, respectively, providing a tool to tune these properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Direct probing of band-structure Berry phase in diluted magnetic semiconductors

We report on experimental evidence of the Berry phase accumulated by the charge carrier wave function in single-domain nanowires made from a (Ga,Mn)(As,P) diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor layer. Its signature on the mesoscopic transport measurements is revealed as unusual patterns in the magnetoconductance, that are clearly distinguished from the universal conductance fluctuations. We show that these patterns appear in a magnetic field region where the magnetization rotates coherently and are related to a change in the band-structure Berry phase as the magnetization direction changes. They should be thus considered as a band structure Berry phase fingerprint of the effective magnetic monopoles in the momentum space. We argue that this is an efficient method to vary the band structure in a controlled way and to probe it directly. Hence, (Ga,Mn)As appears to be a very interesting test bench for new concepts based on this geometrical phase.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗