arXiv subjects

Yuki K. Wakabayashi

Publications and source records attributed to Yuki K. Wakabayashi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

High-mobility two-dimensional carriers from surface Fermi arcs in magnetic Weyl semimetal films

High-mobility two-dimensional carriers originating from surface Fermi arcs in magnetic Weyl semimetals are highly desired for accessing exotic quantum transport phenomena and for topological electronics applications. Here, we demonstrate high-mobility two-dimensional carriers that show quantum oscillations in magnetic Weyl semimetal SrRuO3 epitaxial films by systematic angle-dependent, high-magnetic field magnetotransport experiments. The exceptionally high-quality SrRuO3 films were grown by state-of-the-art oxide thin film growth technologies driven by machine learning algorithm. The quantum oscillations for the 10-nm SrRuO3 film show a high quantum mobility of 3500 cm2/Vs, a light cyclotron mass, and two-dimensional angular dependence, which can be attributed to the surface Fermi arcs. The linear thickness dependence of the phase shift of the quantum oscillations provides evidence for the non-trivial nature of the quantum oscillations mediated by the surface Fermi arcs. In addition, at low temperatures and under magnetic fields of up to 52 T, the quantum limit of SrRuO3 manifests the chiral anomaly of the Weyl nodes. Emergence of the hitherto hidden two-dimensional Weyl states in a ferromagnetic oxide pave the way to explore novel quantum transport phenomena for topological oxide electronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Single-domain perpendicular magnetization induced by the coherent O 2p-Ru 4d hybridized state in an ultra-high-quality SrRuO3 film

We investigated the Ru 4d and O 2p electronic structure and magnetic properties of an ultra-high-quality SrRuO3 film on SrTiO3 grown by machine-learning-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The high itinerancy and long quantum lifetimes of the quasiparticles in the Ru 4d t2g-O 2p hybridized valence band are confirmed by observing the prominent well-screened peak in the Ru 3d core-level photoemission spectrum, the coherent peak near the Fermi energy in the valence band spectrum, and quantum oscillations in the resistivity. The element-specific magnetic properties and the hybridization between the Ru 4d and O 2p orbitals were characterized by Ru M2,3-edge and O K-edge soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements. The ultra-high-quality SrRuO3 film with the residual resistivity ratio of 86 shows the large orbital magnetic moment of oxygen ions induced by the strong orbital hybridization of the O 2p states with the spin-polarized Ru 4d t2g states. The film also shows single-domain perpendicular magnetization with an almost ideal remanent magnetization ratio of 0.97. These results provide detailed insights into the relevance between orbital hybridization and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in SrRuO3/SrTiO3 systems.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Reduced magnetocrystalline anisotropy of CoFe$_2$O$_4$ thin films studied by angle-dependent x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Spinel-type CoFe$_2$O$_4$ is a ferrimagnetic insulator with the Néel temperature exceeding 790 K, and shows a strong cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) in bulk materials. However, when a CoFe$_2$O$_4$ film is grown on other materials, its magnetic properties are degraded so that so-called magnetically dead layers are expected to be formed in the interfacial region. We investigate how the magnetic anisotropy of CoFe$_2$O$_4$ is modified at the interface of CoFe$_2$O$_4$/Al$_2$O$_3$ bilayers grown on Si(111) using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). We find that the thinner CoFe$_2$O$_4$ films have significantly smaller MCA values than bulk materials. The reduction of MCA is explained by the reduced number of Co$^{2+}$ ions at the $O_h$ site reported by a previous study [Y. K. Wakabayashi $\textit{et al.}$, Phys. Rev. B $\textbf{96}$, 104410 (2017)].

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Wide-range epitaxial strain control of electrical and magnetic properties in high-quality SrRuO3 films

Epitaxial strain in 4d ferromagnet SrRuO3 films is directly linked to the physical properties through the strong coupling between lattices, electrons, and spins. It provides an excellent opportunity to tune the functionalities of SrRuO3 in electronic and spintronic devices. However, a thorough understanding of the epitaxial strain effect in SrRuO3 has remained elusive due to the lack of systematic studies. This study demonstrates wide-range epitaxial strain control of electrical and magnetic properties in high-quality SrRuO3 films. The epitaxial strain was imposed by cubic or pseudocubic perovskite substrates having a lattice mismatch of -1.6 to 2.3% with reference to bulk SrRuO3. The Poisson ratio, which describes the two orthogonal distortions due to the substrate clamping effect, is estimated to be 0.33. The Curie temperature (TC) and residual resistivity ratios of the series of films are higher than or comparable to the highest reported values for SrRuO3 on each substrate, confirming the high crystalline quality of the films. A TC of 169 K is achieved in a tensile-strained SrRuO3 film on the DyScO3 (110) substrate, which is the highest value ever reported for SrRuO3. The TC (146-169 K), magnetic anisotropy (perpendicular or in-plane magnetic easy axis), and metallic conduction (residual resistivity at 2 K of 2.10 - 373 μΩcm) of SrRuO3 are widely controlled by epitaxial strain. These results provide guidelines to design SrRuO3-based heterostructures for device applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Structural and transport properties of highly Ru-deficient SrRu0.7O3 thin films prepared by molecular beam epitaxy: comparison with stoichiometric SrRuO3

We investigate structural and transport properties of highly Ru-deficient SrRu0.7O3 thin films prepared by molecular beam epitaxy on (001) SrTiO3 substrates. To distinguish the influence of the two types of disorders in the films, Ru vacancies within lattices and disorders near the interface, SrRu0.7O3 thin films with various thicknesses (t = 1-60 nm) were prepared. It was found that the influence of the former dominates the electrical and magnetic properties when t > 5-10 nm, while that of the latter does when t < 5-10 nm. Structural characterizations revealed that the crystallinity, in terms of the Sr and O sublattices, of SrRu0.7O3 thin films, is as high as that of the ultrahigh-quality SrRuO3 ones. The Curie temperature (TC) analysis elucidated that SrRu0.7O3 (TC = 140 K) is a material distinct from SrRuO3 (TC = 150 K). Despite the large Ru deficiency (30%), the SrRu0.7O3 films showed metallic conduction when t > 5 nm. In high-field magnetoresistance measurements, the fascinating phenomenon of Weyl fermion transport was not observed for the SrRu0.7O3 thin films irrespective of thickness, which is in contrast to the stoichiometric SrRuO3 films. The (magneto)transport properties suggest that a picture of carrier scattering due to the Ru vacancies is appropriate for SrRu0.7O3, and also that proper stoichiometry control is a prerequisite to utilizing the full potential of SrRuO3 as a magnetic Weyl semimetal and two-dimensional spin-polarized system. Nevertheless, the large tolerance in Ru composition (30 %) to metallic conduction is advantageous for some practical applications where SrRu1-xO3 is exploited as an epitaxial conducting layer.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Thickness-dependent quantum transport of Weyl fermions in ultra-high-quality SrRuO3 films

The recent observation of Weyl fermions in the itinerant 4d ferromagnetic perovskite SrRuO3 points to this material being a good platform for exploring novel physics related to a pair of Weyl nodes in epitaxial heterostructures. In this letter, we report the thickness-dependent magnetotransport properties of ultra-high-quality epitaxial SrRuO3 films grown under optimized conditions on SrTiO3 substrates. Signatures of Weyl fermion transport, i.e., unsaturated linear positive magnetoresistance accompanied by a quantum oscillation having a π Berry phase, were observed in films with thicknesses as small as 10 nm. Residual resistivity increased with decreasing film thickness, indicating disorder near the interface between SrRuO3 and the SrTiO3 substrate. Since this disorder affects the magnetic and electrical properties of the films, the Curie temperature decreases and the coercive field increases with decreasing thickness. Thickness-dependent magnetotransport measurements revealed that the threshold residual resistivity ratio (RRR) to observe Weyl fermion transport is 21. These results provide guidelines for realizing quantum transport of Weyl fermions in SrRuO3 near heterointerfaces.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Quantum transport evidence of Weyl fermions in an epitaxial ferromagnetic oxide

Magnetic Weyl fermions, which occur in magnets, have novel transport phenomena related to pairs of Weyl nodes, and they are, of both, scientific and technological interest, with the potential for use in high-performance electronics, spintronics and quantum computing. Although magnetic Weyl fermions have been predicted to exist in various oxides, evidence for their existence in oxide materials remains elusive. SrRuO3, a 4d ferromagnetic metal often used as an epitaxial conducting layer in oxide heterostructures, provides a promising opportunity to seek for the existence of magnetic Weyl fermions. Advanced oxide thin film preparation techniques, driven by machine learning technologies, may allow access to such topological matter. Here we show direct quantum transport evidence of magnetic Weyl fermions in an epitaxial ferromagnetic oxide SrRuO3: unsaturated linear positive magnetoresistance (MR), chiral-anomaly-induced negative MR, Pi Berry phase accumulated along cyclotron orbits, light cyclotron masses and high quantum mobility of about 10000 cm2/Vs. We employed machine-learning-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to synthesize SrRuO3 films whose quality is sufficiently high to probe their intrinsic quantum transport properties. We also clarified the disorder dependence of the transport of the magnetic Weyl fermions, and provided a brand-new diagram for the Weyl transport, which gives a clear guideline for accessing the topologically nontrivial transport phenomena. Our results establish SrRuO3 as a magnetic Weyl semimetal and topological oxide electronics as a new research field.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Characterization of in-gap states in epitaxial CoFe2O4(111) layers grown on Al2O3(111)/Si(111) by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

We have studied in-gap states in epitaxial CoFe2O4(111), which potentially acts as a perfect spin filter, grown on a Al2O3(111)/Si(111) structure by using ellipsometry, Fe L2,3-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and Fe L2,3-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), and revealed the relation between the in-gap states and chemical defects due to the Fe2+ cations at the octahedral sites (Fe2+ (Oh) cations). The ellipsometry measurements showed the indirect band gap of 1.24 eV for the CoFe2O4 layer and the Fe L2,3-edge XAS confirmed the characteristic photon energy for the preferential excitation of the Fe2+ (Oh) cations. In the Fe L3-edge RIXS spectra, a band-gap excitation and an excitation whose energy is smaller than the band-gap energy (Eg = 1.24 eV) of CoF2O4, which we refer to as "below-band-gap excitation (BBGE)" hereafter, were observed. The intensity of the BBGE was strengthened at the preferential excitation energy of the Fe2+ (Oh) cations. In addition, the intensity of the BBGE was significantly increased when the thickness of the CoFe2O4 layer was decreased from 11 to 1.4 nm, which coincides with the increase in the site occupancy of the Fe2+ (Oh) cations with decreasing the thickness. These results indicate that the BBGE comes from the in-gap states of the Fe2+ (Oh) cations whose density increases near the heterointerface on the bottom Al2O3 layer. We have demonstrated that RIXS measurements and analyses in combination with ellipsometry and XAS are effective to provide an insight into in-gap states in thin-film oxide heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Machine-learning-assisted thin-film growth: Bayesian optimization in molecular beam epitaxy of SrRuO3 thin films

Materials informatics exploiting machine learning techniques, e.g., Bayesian optimization (BO), has the potential to offer high-throughput optimization of thin-film growth conditions through incremental updates of machine learning models in accordance with newly measured data. Here, we demonstrated BO-based molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of SrRuO3, one of the most-intensively studied materials in the research field of oxide electronics, mainly owing to its unique nature as a ferromagnetic metal. To simplify the intricate search space of entangled growth conditions, we ran the BO for a single condition while keeping the other conditions fixed. As a result, high-crystalline-quality SrRuO3 film exhibiting a high residual resistivity ratio (RRR) of over 50 as well as strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy was developed in only 24 MBE growth runs in which the Ru flux rate, growth temperature, and O3-nozzle-to-substrate distance were optimized. Our BO-based search method provides an efficient experimental design that is not as dependent on the experience and skills of individual researchers, and it reduces experimental time and cost, which will accelerate materials research.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Magnetization process of the insulating ferromagnetic semiconductor (Al,Fe)Sb

We have studied the magnetization process of the new insulating ferromagnetic semiconductor (Al,Fe)Sb by means of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. For an optimally doped sample with 10% Fe, a magnetization was found to rapidly increase at low magnetic fields and to saturate at high magnetic fields at room temperature, well above the Curie temperature of 40 K. We attribute this behavior to the existence of nanoscale Fe-rich ferromagnetic domains acting as superparamagnets. By fitting the magnetization curves using the Langevin function representing superparamagnetism plus the paramagnetic linear function, we estimated the average magnetic moment of the nanoscale ferromagnetic domain to be 300-400 $μ_{B}$, and the fraction of Fe atoms participating in the nano-scale ferromagnetism to be $\sim$50%. Such behavior was also reported for (In,Fe)As:Be and Ge:Fe, and seems to be a universal characteristic of the Fe-doped ferromagnetic semiconductors. Further Fe doping up to 14% led to the weakening of the ferromagnetism probably because antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction between nearest-neighbor Fe-Fe pairs becomes dominant.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Electronic structure of the novel high-$T_{\rm C}$ ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Fe)Sb: x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and resonance photoemission spectroscopy studies

The electronic structure and the magnetism of the novel ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Fe)Sb, whose Curie temperature $T_{\rm C}$ can exceed room temperature, were investigated by means of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and resonance photoemission spectroscopy (RPES). The line-shape analyses of the XAS and XMCD spectra suggest that the ferromagnetism is of intrinsic origin. The orbital magnetic moments deduced using XMCD sum rules were found to be large, indicating that there is a considerable amount of 3$d^{6}$ contribution to the ground state of Fe. From RPES, we observed a strong dispersive Auger peak and non-dispersive resonantly enhanced peaks in the valence-band spectra. The latter is a fingerprint of the correlated nature of Fe 3$d$ electrons, whereas the former indicates their itinerant nature. It was also found that the Fe 3$d$ states have finite contribution to the DOS at the Fermi energy. These states presumably consisting of majority-spin $p$-$d$ hybridized states or minority-spin $e$ states would be responsible for the ferromagnetic order in this material.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Local Magnetic States of the Weakly Ferromagnetic Iron-Based Superconductor Sr$_2$VFeAsO$_{3-δ}$ Studied by X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism

We have performed x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements on the iron-based superconductor Sr$_2$VFeAsO$_{3-δ}$ to study the origin of weak ferromagnetism (WFM) reported for this compound. While Fe 3$d$ electrons show a magnetic response similar to the other iron pnictides, signals from V 3$d$ electrons remain finite at zero magnetic field and may be responsible for the WFM.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Systematic study of the electronic structure and the magnetic properties of a few-nm-thick epitaxial (Ni1-xCox)Fe2O4 (x = 0 - 1) layers grown on Al2O3(111)/Si(111) using soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism: effects of cation distribution

We study the electronic structure and the magnetic properties of epitaxial (Ni1-xCox)Fe2O4(111) layers (x = 0 - 1) with thicknesses d = 1.7 - 5.2 nm grown on Al2O3(111)/Si(111) structures, to achieve a high value of inversion parameter y, which is the inverse-to-normal spinel-structure ratio, and hence to obtain good magnetic properties even when the thickness is thin enough for electron tunneling as a spin filter. We revealed the crystallographic (octahedral Oh or tetrahedral Td) sites and the valences of the Fe, Co, and Ni cations using experimental soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra and configuration-interaction cluster-model calculation. In all the (Ni1-xCox)Fe2O4 layers with d = about 4 nm, all Ni cations occupy the Ni2+ (Oh) site, whereas Co cations occupy the three different Co2+ (Oh), Co2+ (Td), and Co3+ (Oh) sites with constant occupancies. According to these features, the occupancy of the Fe3+ (Oh) cations decreases and that of the Fe3+ (Td) cations increases with decreasing x. Consequently, we obtained a systematic increase of y with decreasing x and achieved the highest y value of 0.91 for the NiFe2O4 layer with d = 3.5 nm. From the d dependences of y and magnetization in the d range of 1.7 - 5.2 nm, a magnetically dead layer is present near the NiFe2O4/Al2O3 interface, but its influence on the magnetization was significantly suppressed compared with the case of CoFe2O4 layers reported previously [Y. K. Wakabayasi et al., Phys. Rev. B 96, 104410 (2017)], due to the high site selectivity of the Ni cations. Since our epitaxial NiFe2O4 layer with d = 3.5 nm has a high y values (0.91) and a reasonably large magnetization (180 emu/cc), it is expected to exhibit a strong spin filter effect, which can be used for efficient spin injection into Si.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Ferromagnetism above 1000 K in highly cation-ordered double-perovskite insulator Sr3OsO6

Magnetic insulators have been intensively studied for over 100 years, and they, in particular ferrites, are considered to be the cradle of magnetic exchange interactions in solids. Their wide range of applications include microwave devices and permanent magnets . They are also suitable for spintronic devices owing to their high resistivity, low magnetic damping, and spin-dependent tunneling probabilities. The Curie temperature is the crucial factor determining the temperature range in which any ferri/ferromagnetic system remains stable. However, the record Curie temperature has stood for over eight decades in insulators and oxides (943 K for spinel ferrite LiFe5O8). Here we show that a highly B-site ordered double-perovskite, Sr2(SrOs)O6 (Sr3OsO6), surpasses this long standing Curie temperature record by more than 100 K. We revealed this B-site ordering by atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the large spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of Os6+ 5d2 orbitals drives the system toward a Jeff = 3/2 ferromagnetic (FM) insulating state. Moreover, the Sr3OsO6 is the first epitaxially grown osmate, which means it is highly compatible with device fabrication processes and thus promising for spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Impurity band conduction in group-IV ferromagnetic semiconductor Ge1-xFex with nanoscale fluctuations in Fe concentration

We study the carrier transport and magnetic properties of group-IV-based ferromagnetic semiconductor Ge1-xFex thin films (Fe concentration x = 2.3 - 14 %) with and without boron (B) doping, by measuring their transport characteristics; the temperature dependence of resistivity, hole concentration, mobility, and the relation between the anomalous Hall conductivity versus conductivity. At relatively low x (= 2.3 %), the transport in the undoped Ge1-xFex film is dominated by hole hopping between Fe-rich hopping sites in the Fe impurity band, whereas that in the B-doped Ge1-xFex film is dominated by the holes in the valence band in the degenerated Fe-poor regions. As x increases (x = 2.3 - 14 %), the transport in the both undoped and B-doped Ge1-xFex films is dominated by hole hopping between the Fe-rich hopping sites of the impurity band. The magnetic properties of the Ge1-xFex films are studied by various methods including magnetic circular dichroism, magnetization and anomalous Hall resistance, and are not influenced by B-doping. We show band profile models of both undoped and B-doped Ge1-xFex films, which can explain the transport and the magnetic properties of the Ge1-xFex films.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Electronic structure and magnetic properties of magnetically dead layers in epitaxial CoFe2O4/Al2O3/Si(111) films studied by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Epitaxial CoFe2O4/Al2O3 bilayers are expected to be highly efficient spin injectors into Si owing to the spin filter effect of CoFe2O4. To exploit the full potential of this system, understanding the microscopic origin of magnetically dead layers at the CoFe2O4/Al2O3 interface is necessary. In this paper, we study the crystallographic and electronic structures and the magnetic properties of CoFe2O4(111) layers with various thicknesses (thickness d = 1.4, 2.3, 4, and 11 nm) in the epitaxial CoFe2O4(111)/Al2O3(111)/Si(111) structures using soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) combined with cluster-model calculation. The magnetization of CoFe2O4 measured by XMCD gradually decreases with decreasing thickness d and finally a magnetically dead layer is clearly detected at d = 1.4 nm. The magnetically dead layer has frustration of magnetic interactions which is revealed from comparison between the magnetizations at 300 and 6 K. From analysis using configuration-interaction cluster-model calculation, the decrease of d leads to a decrease in the inverse-to-normal spinel structure ratio and also a decrease in the average valence of Fe at the octahedral sites. These results strongly indicate that the magnetically dead layer at the CoFe2O4/Al2O3 interface originates from various complex networks of superexchange interactions through the change in the crystallographic and electronic structures. Furthermore, from comparison of the magnetic properties between d = 1.4 and 2.3 nm, it is found that ferrimagnetic order of the magnetically dead layer at d = 1.4 nm is restored by the additional growth of the 0.9-nm-thick CoFe2O4 layer on it.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Tunneling magnetoresistance in trilayer structures composed of group-IV ferromagnetic semiconductor Ge1-xFex, MgO, and Fe

Group-IV-based ferromagnetic semiconductor Ge1-xFex (GeFe) is one of the most promising materials for efficient spin injectors and detectors for Si and Ge. Recent first principles calculations (Sakamoto et al., Ref. 9) suggested that the Fermi level is located in two overlapping largely spin-polarized bands formed in the bandgap of GeFe; spin-down d(e) band and spin-up p-d(t2) band. Thus, it is important to clarify how these bands contribute to spin injection and detection. In this study, we show the first successful observation of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) containing a group-IV ferromagnetic semiconductor, that is, in MTJs composed of epitaxially grown Fe/MgO/Ge0.935Fe0.065. We find that the p-d(t2) band in GeFe is mainly responsible for the tunneling transport. Although the obtained TMR ratio is small (0.3%), the TMR ratio is expected to be enhanced by suppressing leak current through amorphous-like crystal domains observed in MgO.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Origin of the large positive magnetoresistance in Ge1-xMnx granular thin films

GeMn granular thin films are a unique and promising material for spintronics applications due to large positive magnetoresistance (MR). Previous studies on GeMn have suggested that the large MR is related to nanospinodal decomposition of GeMn into Mn-rich ferromagnetic nanoparticles and Mn-poor paramagnetic matrix. However, its microscopic origin of the MR has not been clarified yet. Here, using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), which is extremely sensitive to the local magnetic state of each atom, we investigate the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles and the matrix in GeMn separately. We find that the MR ratio is proportional to the product of the magnetizations originating from the nanoparticles and the matrix. This result indicates that spin-polarized holes in the nanoparticles penetrate into the matrix and that these holes undergo spin-disorder magnetic scattering by the paramagnetic Mn atoms in the matrix, which induces the large MR.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗