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We report a comprehensive study of the temperature evolution of in-plane (IP) and out-of-plane (OOP) effective magnetic anisotropies in compensated ferrimagnetic ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Gd}}_{x}$ alloy films by employing direct current magnetometry and radiofrequency (RF) transverse susceptibility (TS) measurements. We suggest that our ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Gd}}_{x}$ system is chemically inhomogeneous and phase segregates into Fe- and Gd-enriched regions. Our IP and OOP magnetometry results indicate that the system undergoes a temperature-driven transformation from an IP-spin-configuration-dominated state to an OOP-spin-configuration-dominated state below a certain temperature (spin reorientation temperature). A two-step reversal behavior emerges in the OOP $M$($H$) loop near compensation, which we attribute to the sequential magnetization reversals of Fe- and Gd-enriched domains. Field-induced spin-flop transitions were also observed near the compensation. Our RF TS measurements indicate that the effective magnetic anisotropy for the OOP configuration dominates over that for the IP configuration below a certain spin reorientation temperature. Both IP and OOP anisotropy fields determined from our TS measurement exhibit a minimum around the compensation temperature, which has been explained in the framework of the Stoner-Wohlfarth model.

We report on an all-optical investigation of coupled spin excitation modes in a series of magnetic trilayer structures. Using time-resolved magneto-optic Kerr effect (tr-MOKE) magnetometry, we observe multi-mode coherent spin excitations in [Formula: see text]/Ru/[Formula: see text] multilayers even though the tr-MOKE optical detection is sensitive only to the [Formula: see text] magnetization dynamics. Frequency shifts of the different modes indicate that the coupling between the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] layers varies from anti-ferromagnetic to ferromagnetic to uncoupled as the Ru spacer layer thickness is increased from 8 Å to 200 Å. The lifetime of the high frequency coherent oscillations in the [Formula: see text] layer increases by over 200%–300% even in the case of uncoupled [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] layers with a 200 Å thick Ru spacer. The results suggest an additional method to decrease the damping of high-moment alloys in layered magnetic nanostructures.

We quantify the presence of spin-mixed states in ferromagnetic 3D transition metals by precise measurement of the orbital moment. While central to phenomena such as Elliot-Yafet scattering, quantification of the spin-mixing parameter has hitherto been confined to theoretical calculations. We demonstrate that this information is also available by experimental means. Comparison of ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism results show that Kittel's original derivation of the spectroscopic g factor requires modification, to include spin mixing of valence band states. Our results are supported by ab initio relativistic electronic structure theory.

We have used a combination of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectroscopy and polarized small-angle neutron scattering (P-SANS) to investigate the distribution of magnetization in heterogenous magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) consisting of a metallic Fe core/Fe oxide shell (CS NPS) or Fe core/partial void layer/oxide shell (CVS NPs). Fe ${L}_{2,3}$ XMCD spectra were analyzed with a combination of experimental metallic Fe XMCD spectra and calculated $L$-edge spectra for the Fe cations in the oxide shell. Analyses of the temperature-dependent spectra indicate a weak variation of the relative contribution of the metallic and oxide contributions for the CS NPs, and a somewhat larger contribution from the metallic Fe core near the blocking temperature ${T}_{B}$ of the CVS NP ensemble. The P-SANS data also indicate a larger variation in the magnetization of the CVS NPs near ${T}_{B}$. Modeling of the spin-dependent neutron scattering reveals large variations in the radial magnetization distribution, with a region of reversed magnetization adjacent to the metallic core. Interfacial roughness may play a role in the development of this magnetization profile.

In magnetic trilayer systems, spin pumping is generally addressed as a reciprocal mechanism characterized by one unique spin-mixing conductance common to both interfaces. However, this assumption is questionable in cases where different types of interfaces are present. Here, we present a general theory for analyzing spin pumping in cases with more than one unique interface and where the magnetic coupling is allowed to be noncollinear. The theory is applied to analyze layer-resolved ferromagnetic resonance experiments on the trilayer system Ni80Fe20/Ru/Fe49Co49V2 where the Ru spacer thickness is varied to tune the indirect exchange coupling. It is demonstrated that the equation of motion of macrospins driven by spin pumping need to be modified in case of noncollinear coupling. Our analysis also shows that the spin pumping in trilayer systems with dissimilar magnetic layers, in general, is nonreciprocal.

In materials where two or more ordering degrees of freedom are closely matched in their free energies, coupling between them, or multiferroic behavior can occur. These phenomena can produce a very rich phase behavior, as well as emergent phases that offer useful properties and opportunities to reveal novel phenomena in phase transitions. The ordered alloy FeRh undergoes an antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition at ~375 K, which illustrates the interplay between structural and magnetic order mediated by a delicate energy balance between two configurations. We have examined this transition using a combination of high-resolution x-ray structural and magnetic imaging and comprehensive x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy. We find that the transition proceeds via a defect-driven domain nucleation and growth mechanism, with significant return point memory in both the structural and magnetic domain configurations. The domains show evidence of inhibited growth after nucleation, resulting in a quasi-2nd order temperature behavior.

Strained materials can exhibit drastically modified physical properties in comparison to their fully relaxed analogues. We report on the x-ray absorption spectra (XAS) and magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) of a strained NiFe2O4 inverse spinel film grown on a symmetry matched single crystal MgGa2O4 substrate. The Ni XAS spectra exhibit a sizable difference in the white line intensity for measurements with the x-ray electric field parallel to the film plane (normal incidence) vs when the electric field is at an angle (off-normal). A considerable difference is also observed in the Fe L 2,3 XMCD spectrum. Modeling of the XAS and XMCD spectra indicate that the modified energy ordering of the cation 3d states in the strained film leads to a preferential filling of 3d states with out-of-plane character. In addition, the results point to the utility of x-ray spectroscopy in identifying orbital populations even with elliptically polarized x-rays.

The electronic and atomic structures of amorphous transparent tin oxides have been investigated by a combination of X-ray spectroscopy and atomistic calculations. Crystalline SnO is a promising p-type transparent oxide semiconductor due to a complex lone-pair hybridization that affords both optical transparency despite a small electronic band gap and spherical s-orbital character at the valence band edge. We find that both of these desirable properties (transparency and s-orbital valence band character) are retained upon amorphization despite the disruption of the layered lone-pair states by structural disorder. We explain the anomalously large band gap widening necessary to maintain transparency in terms of lone-pair stabilization via atomic clustering. Our understanding of this mechanism suggests that continuous hole conduction pathways along extended lone pair clusters should be possible under certain stoichiometries. Moreover, these findings should be applicable to other lone-pair active semiconductors.

We report on x-ray and neutron scattering studies that reveal the structure of interfaces of C60 layers with adjacent transition metal layers, in this instance, Cu. Such interfaces produce room-temperature long-range spin order that is not described by conventional theories of metallic magnetism. We use a combination of hard x-ray reflectivity and neutron scattering to investigate the interfacial structure of two C60/Cu layered samples: a superlattice with multiple C60/Cu repeats and a simpler tri-layer structure. For both structures, we develop a consistent structural model for the two scattering techniques, which details the critical interfacial roughness between the layers. We find that while x-ray reflectivity provides a strong contrast between the C60 and Cu layers, the similar neutron scattering length density of the two materials severely reduces the neutron scattering contrast. Our results can be used to design material systems that permit studies of the magnetism of the C60/transition metal interfaces with spin-sensitive scattering probes such as polarized neutron reflectometry.

Incorporating Fe atoms into the lattice is shown to significantly alter electronic and magnetic properties of $\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ nanotubes synthesized by electrochemical anodization of Ti-Fe alloy sheets. The effects of Fe incorporation on the nanotube morphology, crystallinity, crystal structure, magnetic behavior and electronic structure were investigated with crystallographic and magnetic probes, including synchrotron-based spectroscopy. Results indicate that the iron cations predominately adopt the $\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}^{3+}$ configuration, leading to a large increase of the electronic density of states at the Fermi energy. This increase is anticipated to provide enhanced catalytic action, for instance, in the degradation of water and of air pollutants. These results provide insight for tailoring the functionality of these nanostructures for energy-related applications.

Epitaxial ultra-thin oxide films can support large percent level strains well beyond their bulk counterparts, thereby enabling strain-engineering in oxides that can tailor various phenomena. At these reduced dimensions (typically &lt, 10 nm), contributions from the substrate can dwarf the signal from the epilayer, making it difficult to distinguish the properties of the epilayer from the bulk. This is especially true for oxide on oxide systems. Here, we have employed a combination of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and angular soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study epitaxial VO2/TiO2 (100) films ranging from 7.5 to 1 nm. We observe a low-temperature (300 K) insulating phase with evidence of vanadium-vanadium (V-V) dimers and a high-temperature (400 K) metallic phase absent of V-V dimers irrespective of film thickness. Our results confirm that the metal insulator transition can exist at atomic dimensions and that biaxial strain can still be used to control the temperature of its transition when the interfaces are atomically sharp. More generally, our case study highlights the benefits of using non-destructive XAS and HAXPES to extract out information regarding the interfacial quality of the epilayers and spectroscopic signatures associated with exotic phenomena at these dimensions.

The nature of the metal-insulator transition in thin films and superlattices of LaNiO3 only a few unit cells in thickness remains elusive despite tremendous effort. Quantum confinement and epitaxial strain have been evoked as the mechanisms, although other factors such as growth-induced disorder, cation non-stoichiometry, oxygen vacancies, and substrate–film interface quality may also affect the observable properties of ultrathin films. Here we report results obtained for near-ideal LaNiO3 films with different thicknesses and terminations grown by atomic layer-by-layer laser molecular beam epitaxy on LaAlO3 substrates. We find that the room-temperature metallic behavior persists until the film thickness is reduced to an unprecedentedly small 1.5 unit cells (NiO2 termination). Electronic structure measurements using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and first-principles calculation suggest that oxygen vacancies existing in the films also contribute to the metal-insulator transition., The electronic behaviour of complex oxides such as LaNiO3 depends on many intrinsic and extrinsic factors, making it challenging to identify microscopic mechanisms. Here the authors demonstrate the influence of oxygen vacancies on the thickness-dependent metal-insulator transition of LaNiO3 films.

The characteristics of the cooperative Mott-Peierls metal-insulator transition (MIT) of ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ can be altered by employing epitaxial strain. While the most commonly used substrate for this purpose is isostructural rutile ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$, thin films often suffer from interdiffusion of Ti ions near the interface. Exploiting this phenomena, we investigate the nature of interfacial ${\mathrm{V}}^{4+}/{\mathrm{Ti}}^{4+}$ cation intermixing and its effects on the MIT using scanning transmission electron microscopy with electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS), soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES), along with supporting density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We find that the reduced orbital occupancy in highly Ti incorporated ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ is responsible for suppressing the MIT. Interdiffused films are found to be metallic at all measured temperatures, despite a resolute dimerization inferred from x-ray absorption data at lower temperatures. Our results demonstrate that the Mott physics can be suppressed in doped ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$, while a lattice dimerization remains thermodynamically favorable.

Preventing stray magnetic interactions is important to improving technology that relies upon manipulating an electron's charge and spin. To this end, the authors investigate a binary intermetallic that has an internal magnetic field, yet does not affect the spin of surrounding components. As-grown epitaxial thin films of Mn${}_{3}$Al on GaAs(001) present the the ideal D0${}_{3}$ Heusler phase. This compound should be quite interesting for optimizing tomorrow's spintronic devices.

The magnetic structure of Fe-doped CoFe2O4 (Co1−xFe2+xO4) grown on MgO (0 0 1) and SrTiO3 (0 0 1) substrates is studied with superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and soft x-ray magnetic spectroscopies. X-ray and electron diffraction show that the choice of substrate has large effects on the strain, crystal structure and surface morphology of Co1−xFe2+xO4 thin films. Samples grown on MgO have small, coherent strains and surfaces that are nearly atomically flat, whereas films grown on SrTiO3 have large tensile strains and surfaces terminated with islands, which indicate the presence of a large density of misfit dislocations. These differences in structural properties correlate with the large differences seen in the magnetic structure; samples grown on SrTiO3 have larger magnetic moments and increased anisotropies compared to those grown on MgO. Most strikingly, the large magnetic spin and orbital moments found in the films grown on SrTiO3 suggest a suppression of anti-phase boundary formation, which we attribute to the large compressive lattice mismatch and the formation of misfit dislocations during the film growth in order to relieve the epitaxial strain. This results in the films grown on SrTiO3 having magnetic properties that are more similar to bulk Co1−xFe2+xO4 than those grown on MgO, demonstrating that epitaxial strain can result in large changes in the magnetic structure of Co1−xFe2+xO4.

This article reviews static and dynamic interfacial effects in magnetism, focusing on interfacially-driven magnetic effects and phenomena associated with spin-orbit coupling and intrinsic symmetry breaking at interfaces. It provides a historical background and literature survey, but focuses on recent progress, identifying the most exciting new scientific results and pointing to promising future research directions. It starts with an introduction and overview of how basic magnetic properties are affected by interfaces, then turns to a discussion of charge and spin transport through and near interfaces and how these can be used to control the properties of the magnetic layer. Important concepts include spin accumulation, spin currents, spin transfer torque, and spin pumping. An overview is provided to the current state of knowledge and existing review literature on interfacial effects such as exchange bias, exchange spring magnets, spin Hall effect, oxide heterostructures, and topological insulators. The article highlights recent discoveries of interface-induced magnetism and non-collinear spin textures, non-linear dynamics including spin torque transfer and magnetization reversal induced by interfaces, and interfacial effects in ultrafast magnetization processes., 193 pages, including 28 figures inserted after text and references. Paper accepted in Reviews of Modern Physics

Tensile strain along the ${c}_{R}$ axis in epitaxial ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ films raises the temperature of the metal insulator transition and is expected to stabilize the intermediate monoclinic M2 phase. We employ surface-sensitive x-ray spectroscopy to distinguish from the ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ substrate and identify the phases of ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ as a function of temperature in epitaxial ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}/{\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ thin films with well-defined biaxial strain. Although qualitatively similar to our Landau-Ginzburg theory predicted phase diagrams, the M2 phase is stabilized by nearly an order of magnitude more strain than expected for the measured temperature window. Our results reveal that the elongation of the ${c}_{R}$ axis is insufficient for describing the transition pathway of ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ epitaxial films and that a strain induced increase of electron correlation effects must be considered.

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectroscopy, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectroscopy and magnetic transmission soft x-ray microscopy (MTXM) experiments have been performed to gain insight into the magnetic anisotropy and domain structure of ultrathin Co | Ni multilayer films with a thin permalloy layer underneath. MTXM images with a spatial resolution better than 25 nm were obtained at the Co L3 edge down to an equivalent thickness of Co of only 1 nm, which establishes a new lower boundary on the sensitivity limit of MTXM. Domain sizes are shown to be strong functions of the anisotropy and thickness of the film.

Cobalt nanoparticles have been embedded either within magnetic thin films of CuNi or Ni, or at their interface with an Al capping layer. Soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) was used to measure element-specific hysteresis loops, allowing discrimination between the nanoparticles and the host film. The hysteresis shows coupling between the nanoparticles and the films and a reduction in coercivity is observed when positioning the nanoparticles within the film, as opposed to at its interface with the cap. Sum rule analysis of the XMCD spectra makes it possible to determine the orbital to spin moment ratios for Co and Ni in the samples. The difference in the calculated ratios is consistent with the differences in the coercivities, the films appearing more homogenous due to hybridization of the 3d bands of Co and Ni when the nanoparticles are embedded deeper within the films, creating less pinning sites and hence a lower coercivity.

We have studied the effects of the initial stages of the annealing on magnetic tunnel junctions with MgO barriers and CoFeB electrodes. We report changes in the resistance–voltage characteristics and tunneling magnetoresistance for patterned transport junctions, and correlate these with the observed changes in the structural and magnetic interface morphologies determined by soft X-ray resonant magnetic scattering from sheet films from the same wafer. An important feature of our experiment was that all measurements were carried out within the soft X-ray diffractometer on samples from the same wafer subjected to simultaneous annealing cycles, so that our magnetotransport and scattering data are directly comparable. The as-grown junction showed a tunneling magnetoresistance ratio of 5.5%, and a specific barrier resistance of 85.6 k Ω μ m 2 . A 200 ∘ C anneal for 1 h resulted in a small rise in barrier resistance and magnetoresistance coupled with a smoothing of the magnetic interfaces, consistent with the healing of barrier defects and removal of tunneling hot-spots. A subsequent 300 ∘ C anneal for a further hour resulted in further smoothing, and a rise in the magnetoresistance ratio to 72%, and a much weaker dependence of the parallel state resistance upon voltage bias, indicating the development of ( 0 0 1 ) crystallographic texture in the electrodes. Annealing to 325 ∘ C yielded a further decrease in magnetic interface width (the quadrature sum of roughness and intermixing length scales). The reduction in interface width for Co species occurred at higher temperatures than for Fe throughout the experiments.

International audience; Temperature- and coverage-dependent studies of the Au(1 1 1)-supported spin crossover Fe(II) complex (SCO) of the type [Fe(H2B(pz)2)2(bipy)] with a suite of surface-sensitive spectroscopy and microscopy tools show that the substrate inhibits thermally induced transitions of the molecular spin state, so that both high-spin and low-spin states are preserved far beyond the spin transition temperature of free molecules. Scanning tunneling microscopy confirms that [Fe(H2B(pz)2)2(bipy)] grows as ordered, molecular bilayer islands at sub-monolayer coverage and as disordered film at higher coverage. The temperature dependence of the electronic structure suggest that the SCO films exhibit a mixture of spin states at room temperature, but upon cooling below the spin crossover transition the film spin state is best described as a mix of high-spin and low-spin state molecules of a ratio that is constant. This locking of the spin state is most likely the result of a substrate-induced conformational change of the interfacial molecules, but it is estimated that also the intra-atomic electron–electron Coulomb correlation energy, or Hubbard correlation energy U, could be an additional contributing factor.

We present a time and element-resolved measurement of magnetization dynamics during ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in a single layer of Ni 81 Fe 19 . Small-angle ( 1 ∘ ) precession of elemental Ni, Fe moments could be measured directly and quantitatively using time-resolved X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) in transmission. The high temporal and rotational sensitivity of this technique has allowed quantification of the phase and amplitude of driven FMR motion at 2.3 GHz, verifying basic expectations for a driven resonance.

Fe ions were implanted into well-aligned single-crystal ZnO nanotips grown on SiO2/quartz substrates using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The Fe ion concentration distribution within a single nanotip is mapped by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and the nanotips imaged by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) identified the presence of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in both as-implanted and annealed samples. However, Fe3+ ion concentration increased during postannealing. Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements show that the as-implanted and postannealed ZnO nanotips are ferromagnetic at room temperature. The observed ferromagnetism in the as-implanted nanotips is primarily attributed to the near surface 10-nm region that has high Fe concentration. The saturation magnetization reduces after annealing.

Ferromagnetic nanoparticles in the 10-14 nm size range are examined for their size and interaction dependent magnetic properties. From X-ray magnetic circular dichroism the orbital-to-spin magnetic moment ratio is determined and found to decrease significantly with particle size. This is in accordance with previous complementary studies on smaller particles and highlights the difficulty of fitting to a simple core-shell model. Vibrating sample magnetometry experiments on samples with more than 1000 particles per square micron show a wide distribution of blocking temperatures from 50 to greater than 650 K. This is attributed to the dipole-dipole magnetic coupling forces between particles. The blocking temperatures show an unexpected negative correlation with increasing particle density.

Discovering new antiferromagnetic compounds is at the forefront of developing future spintronic devices without fringing magnetic fields. The antiferromagnetic gapless semiconducting D03 phase of V3Al was successfully synthesized via arc-melting and annealing. The antiferromagnetic properties were established through synchrotron measurements of the atom-specific magnetic moments, where the magnetic dichroism reveals large and oppositely-oriented moments on individual V atoms. Density functional theory calculations confirmed the stability of a type G antiferromagnetism involving only two-third of the V atoms, while the remaining V atoms are nonmagnetic. Magnetization, x-ray diffraction and transport measurements also support the antiferromagnetism. This archetypal gapless semiconductor may be considered as a cornerstone for future spintronic devices containing antiferromagnetic elements., Comment: Accepted to Physics Review B on 02/23/15

Epitaxial ZnO films of ∼450 nm thicknesses were grown by MOCVD on r-sapphire and doped by implantation of 200 keV Mn ions to a dose of 5 × 1016 ions/cm2. The structural, chemical, and magnetic properties of the films were investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and SQUID magnetometry. XRD and RBS show both Mn-doped ZnO and pure ZnO epitaxial layers in the as-implanted film, which is ferromagnetic at 5 K but nonmagnetic at room temperature. For the as-implanted materials, only Mn2+ ions are observed with XAS. Post-implantation annealing partially recovers the lattice damage and redistributes Mn into the entire ZnO film; in addition, Mn2+ ions are converted to a mixture of Mn3+ and Mn4+, and ferromagnetism is now observed above 300 K. Our results show that ion implantation is a viable route for achieving room temperature ferromagnetism in epitaxial ZnO films. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We demonstrate a semiconducting material, TiO2??, with ferromagnetism up to 880?K, without the introduction of magnetic ions. The magnetism in these films stems from the controlled introduction of anion defects from both the film?substrate interface as well as processing under an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. The room-temperature carriers are n-type with n~3 ? 1017?cm?3. The density of spins is ~1021?cm?3. Magnetism scales with conductivity, suggesting that a double exchange interaction is active. This represents a new approach in the design and refinement of magnetic semiconductor materials for spintronics device applications.

O1s and Mn2p near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy on La1-xSr1+xMnO4 (0 ≤x ≤0.5) single crystals shows that Sr doping does not only provide holes to the system but also induces a continuous transfer of electrons from out-of-plane d3z2-r2 to in-plane d3x2-r2/d3y2-r2 orbitals. Furthermore, a non-vanishing electron occupation of in-plane dx2-y2 and out-of-plane d3z2-r2 orbitals is observed up to relatively high doping contents. These findings demonstrate that the energy difference between all these orbital types has to be very small and manifest that the orbital degree of freedom is determined not just by crystal field effects but also by orbital coupling. Moreover, the doping-dependent transfer of spectral weight observed in the current data identifies La1-xSr1+xMnO4 as a charge-transfer insulator.

Bulk-sensitive O 1s near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy on Ba1 − xKxBiO3 and BaPb1 − yBiyO3 single crystals shows for undoped BaBiO3 a distinct charge-density wave derived band slightly above the Fermi level; upon K doping it is effectively reduced and competes with bipolaronic hole states whose spectral weight increases with K content. For Pb doping, on the other hand, a wide Pb-O band is formed near EF while the intensity of the bipolaronic hole band remains unaffected. The data suggest a crucial role of hole bipolarons for bismuthate superconductivity.

Characterization of the inactive clusters formed by high dose implantation silicon are one of the crucial topics in the semiconductor industry. Analytical techniques, which could provide quantitative information on the detailed description of the complexes that are formed at dopant concentrations above solid solubility levels, are valuable to post-implantation researchers. Previously, X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (XAFS) studies of the As and Sb implanted Si wafers revealed not only that of the chemical nature of clusters, but also the arsenic case, the ratio of the precipitated versus the substitutional form of the As in the system [1] , [2] . In this study, we have used F K-edge and Ge K-edge (for the Ge pre-amorphized wafers) XAFS in order to probe the nature and of the clusters in B, BF2 and BF3 implanted Si wafers. Implants with various doses and implant energies were subjected to various annealing techniques such as laser annealing, spike annealing, solid state phase epitaxy, and flash annealing and the evolution of the spectral features of the clusters were followed upon annealing. The theoretical multiple scattering XAFS calculations were performed in order to correlate the spectral features in the XAFS data with the near-neighbor configuration around the main absorbing atom. The identification and the relative weight of the clusters after different annealing conditions will be presented in order to provide insight to the optimum annealing conditions in these systems.

Mixed oxide interfaces are critical for delivering active components of demanding catalytic processes such as the photocatalytic splitting of water. We have studied CeOx–TiO2 catalysts with low ceria loadings of 1, 3, and 6 wt % that were prepared with wet impregnation methods to favor a strong interaction between CeOx and TiO2. In these materials the interfaces between CeOx–TiO2 have been sequentially loaded (1%, 3%, and 6%), with and without Pt (0.5 wt %). The structure and properties of the catalysts were characterized using several X-ray and electron based techniques including XRD, XPS, UPS, NEXAFS, UV–vis, and HR-STEM/STEM-EELS to unravel the local morphology, bulk structure, surface states, and electronic structure. The combination of all these techniques allows us to analyze in a systematic way the complete structural and electronic properties that prevail at the CeOx–TiO2 interface. Fluorite structured nanocrystallites of ceria on anatase-structured titania were identified by both XRD and NEXAFS. A sequential increase of the CeOx loading led to the formation of clusters, then plates, and finally nanoparticles in a hierarchical manner on the TiO2 support. The electronic structures of these catalysts indicate that the interaction between TiO2 and CeO2 is closely related to the local morphology of nanostructured CeO2. Ce3+ cations were detected at the surface of CeO2 and at the interface of the two oxides. In addition, the titania is perturbed by the interaction with ceria and also with Pt. The photocatalytic activity for the splitting of H2O using UV light was measured for these materials and correlated with our understanding of the electronic and structural properties. Optimal catalytic performance and photoresponse results were found for the 1 wt % CeOx–TiO2 catalyst where low dimensional geometry of the ceria provided ideal electronic and geometrical properties. The structural and electronic properties of the interface were critical for the photocatalytic performance of this mixed-oxide nanocatalyst system., The research carried out in this manuscript was performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and Catalysis Science Program under Contract DE-SC0012704. L.B. also acknowledges financial support from the JAE-CSIC grant program

The sound of seagulls overhead greeted a diverse, international group of expert researchers in magnetism as they gathered on the shores of the Long Island Sound in late November. The group assembled on November 21–23, 2010, at Danford's Hotel and Marina in Port Jefferson, NY, USA, to participate in “MXLS10 - A Joint NSLS-II and MAX-lab Workshop: New Opportunities in Magnetism at Ultra-Low Emmittance Storage Rings.” With an idyllic setting on picturesque Port Jefferson Bay, adjacent to the terminal serving the lumbering ferries with their invigorating foghorns, the workshop brought together more than 40 scientists from Europe, Asia, and North America to hear about compelling and intriguing current research and discuss exciting opportunities afforded by the exceptional properties of the next-generation of X-ray storage rings: MAX-IV and NSLS-II.

This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through grants EP/K00512X/1, EP/K036408/1, EP/J01060X/1 and EP/I004483/1. Only three elements are ferromagnetic at room temperature: the transition metals iron, cobalt and nickel. The Stoner criterion explains why iron is ferromagnetic but manganese, for example, is not, even though both elements have an unfilled 3d shell and are adjacent in the periodic table: according to this criterion, the product of the density of states and the exchange integral must be greater than unity for spontaneous spin ordering to emerge. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to alter the electronic states of non-ferromagnetic materials, such as diamagnetic copper and paramagnetic manganese, to overcome the Stoner criterion and make them ferromagnetic at room temperature. This effect is achieved via interfaces between metallic thin films and C60 molecular layers. The emergent ferromagnetic state exists over several layers of the metal before being quenched at large sample thicknesses by the materiala € s bulk properties. Although the induced magnetization is easily measurable by magnetometry, low-energy muon spin spectroscopy provides insight into its distribution by studying the depolarization process of low-energy muons implanted in the sample. This technique indicates localized spin-ordered states at, and close to, the metal-molecule interface. Density functional theory simulations suggest a mechanism based on magnetic hardening of the metal atoms, owing to electron transfer. This mechanism might allow for the exploitation of molecular coupling to design magnetic metamaterials using abundant, non-toxic components such as organic semiconductors. Charge transfer at molecular interfaces may thus be used to control spin polarization or magnetization, with consequences for the design of devices for electronic, power or computing applications (see, for example, refs 6 and 7). Postprint

Using a controllable wet chemical approach, the polyol process, we developed a cobalt carbide nanomagnet consisting of an assembly of Co2C and Co3C nanoparticles as an alternative to rare earth permanent magnets (PMs). The thermodynamically stable mixed phase cobalt carbide nanoparticles are shown to be acicular in morphology. Their exchange-coupled magnetic interaction possessing high maximum energy product of 20.7 kJ m(-3) and room temperature coercivity (2.9 kOe) has been confirmed through vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and first order reversal curves (FORCs). These metastable carbide nanoparticles offer improved magnetic properties compared to their pure bulk form. An understanding of the formation mechanism, using in situ time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy (TR-XAS), and the correlation between phase contributions to the properties are described in detail. Our strategy presents a controllable route to preparing the cobalt carbide nanomagnets, which could be potentially useful in permanent magnet clean energy applications. Additionally, the in situ apparatus offers a promising way to directly explore the effects of reaction variables for high-temperature wet chemical reactions.

We experimentally demonstrate a novel approach to substantially modify orbital occupations and symmetries in electronically correlated oxides. In contrast to methods using strain or confinement, this orbital tuning is achieved by exploiting charge transfer and inversion symmetry breaking using atomically layered heterostructures. We illustrate the technique in the LaTiO_{3}-LaNiO_{3}-LaAlO_{3} system; a combination of x-ray absorption spectroscopy and ab initio theory reveals electron transfer and concomitant polar fields, resulting in a ∼50% change in the occupation of Ni d orbitals. This change is sufficiently large to remove the orbital degeneracy of bulk LaNiO_{3} and creates an electronic configuration approaching a single-band Fermi surface. Furthermore, we theoretically show that such three-component heterostructuring is robust and tunable by choice of insulator in the heterostructure, providing a general method for engineering orbital configurations and designing novel electronic systems.

The electronic and structural properties of thin LaNiO₃ films grown by using molecular beam epitaxy are studied as a function of the net ionic charge of the surface terminating layer. We demonstrate that electronic transport in nickelate heterostructures can be manipulated through changes in the surface termination due to a strong coupling of the surface electrostatic properties to the structural properties of the Ni—O bonds that govern electronic conduction. We observe experimentally and from first-principles theory an asymmetric response of the structural properties of the films to the sign of the surface charge, which results from a strong interplay between electrostatic and mechanical boundary conditions governing the system. The structural response results in ionic buckling in the near-surface NiO₂ planes for films terminated with negatively charged NiO₂ and bulklike NiO₂ planes for films terminated with positively charged LaO planes. The ability to modify transport properties by the deposition of a single atomic layer can be used as a guiding principle for nanoscale device fabrication.

The magnetic, transport, and electronic properties of ultrathin epitaxial ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ (LSMO) films at near half doping ($x=0.47$, 0.50, and 0.55), grown under different misfit strains on $\mathrm{Sr}\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$(001) and ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.18}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.82}{\mathrm{Al}}_{0.59}{\mathrm{Ta}}_{0.41}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$(001) (LSAT) substrates, are investigated. We find that all films exhibit metallic behavior below the magnetic critical temperature, while the magnetic properties change markedly with both doping and strain. However, while increased doping favors antiferromagnetic ordering, strain is the driving mechanism for the change in the magnetic properties, where with increasing tensile strain the magnetic ground state changes from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic at a critical lattice misfit threshold of about \ensuremath{-}1%. The bulk magnetometry data are confirmed by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy, while x-ray magnetic linear dichroism measured at room temperature demonstrates a progressive change in the orbital occupancy with increasing misfit strain from out of plane to in-plane, leading to a preferred antiferromagnetic metallic state at larger tensile strains.

The third international workshop on hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES 2009) was held at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, from May 20–22, 2009. This three-day workshop brought together approximately 100 scientists from 14 countries to discuss progress and future prospects for this rapidly developing field of research. The conference was sponsored by the National Synchrotron Light Source, the National Synchrotron Light Source-II Project, Brookhaven National Laboratory Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

A series of manganese ferrite thin film samples were prepared by alternating target laser ablation deposition and conventional pulsed laser deposition techniques on (111) MgO substrates. By extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis, we have discovered that the cation distribution was sensitive to the processing oxygen pressure and the preparation technique. Correspondingly, the saturation magnetization and uniaxial anisotropy fields change. Saturation magnetization was found to decrease while the percentage of Mn ions on the octahedral site increased, as a function of oxygen processing pressure. The highest magnetization (~4.5 kG) and anisotropy field (~0.5 kOe) corresponded to the sample grown at the lowest oxygen pressure

Using X-ray photoelectron emission microscopy we have observed the coexistence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases in a (3 at.%)Pd-doped FeRh epilayer. By quantitatively analyzing the resultant images we observe that as the epilayer transforms there is a change in magnetic domain symmetry from predominantly twofold at lower temperatures through to an equally weighted combination of both four and twofold symmetries at higher temperature. It is postulated that the lowered symmetry Ising-like nematic phase resides at the near-surface of the epilayer. This behavior is different to that of undoped FeRh suggesting that the variation in symmetry is driven by the competing structural and electronic interactions in the nanoscale FeRh film coupled with the effect of the chemical doping disorder., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 1 table

The high-frequency dynamics of mode-coupled magnetic vortices have generated great interest for spintronic technologies, such as spin-torque nano-oscillators. While the spectroscopic characteristics of vortex oscillators have been reported, direct imaging of driven coupled magnetic quasi-particles is essential to the fundamental understanding of the dynamics involved. Here, we present the first direct imaging study of driven interlayer coaxial vortices in the dipolar- and indirect exchange-coupled regimes. Employing in situ high-frequency excitation with Lorentz microscopy, we directly observe the steady-state orbital amplitudes in real space with sub-5 nm spatial resolution. We discuss the unique frequency response of dipolar- and exchange-coupled vortex motion, wherein mode splitting and locking demonstrates large variations in coherent motion, as well as detail the resultant orbital amplitudes. This provides critical insights of the fundamental features of collective vortex-based microwave generators, such as their steady-state amplitudes, tunability and mode-coupled motion.

To address the amount of disorder and interface diffusion induced by annealing, all-Heusler multilayer structures, consisting of ferromagnetic Co2MnGe and nonmagnetic Rh2CuSn layers of varying thicknesses, have been investigated by means of hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. We find evidence for a 4 angstrom thick magnetically dead layer that, together with the identified interlayer diffusion, are likely reasons for the unexpectedly small magnetoresistance found for current-perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance devices based on this all-Heusler system. We find that diffusion begins already at comparably low temperatures between 200 and 250 degrees C, where Mn appears to be most prone to diffusion.

The internal phase profile of electromagnetic radiation determines many functional properties of metal, oxide or semiconductor heterostructures. In magnetic heterostructures, emerging spin electronic phenomena depend strongly upon the phase profile of the magnetic field H at gigahertz frequencies. Here we demonstrate nanometre-scale, layer-resolved detection of electromagnetic phase through the radio frequency magnetic field H(rf) in magnetic heterostructures. Time-resolved X-ray magnetic circular dichroism reveals the local phase of the radio frequency magnetic field acting on individual magnetizations M(i) through the susceptibility as M = χH(rf). An unexpectedly large phase variation, ~40°, is detected across spin-valve trilayers driven at 3 GHz. The results have implications for the identification of novel effects in spintronics and suggest general possibilities for electromagnetic-phase profile measurement in heterostructures.

Fe ions of dose 5×1016cm−2 were implanted at 200keV into ZnO nanotips at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy images show that the implanted ZnO tips are much sharper than the as-grown ones. The sharpening effect of the ZnO nanotips is attributed to the interplay between ion sputtering and ion-induced surface diffusion. X-ray diffraction indicates that ZnO crystallinity was preserved during implantation. Photoluminescence measurements show development of a broad blue band and severe UV quenching upon ion bombardment, and partial recovery after annealing. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is consistent with Fe ions that are substitutional for Zn in the ZnO wurtzite lattice.Fe ions of dose 5×1016cm−2 were implanted at 200keV into ZnO nanotips at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy images show that the implanted ZnO tips are much sharper than the as-grown ones. The sharpening effect of the ZnO nanotips is attributed to the interplay between ion sputtering and ion-induced surface diffusion. X-ray diffraction indicates that ZnO crystallinity was preserved during implantation. Photoluminescence measurements show development of a broad blue band and severe UV quenching upon ion bombardment, and partial recovery after annealing. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is consistent with Fe ions that are substitutional for Zn in the ZnO wurtzite lattice.

The transition between Kondo and Coulomb blockade effects in discontinuous double magnetic tunnel junctions is explored as a function of the size of the CoPt magnetic clusters embedded between AlO${}_{x}$ tunnel barriers. A gradual competition between cotunneling enhancement of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) and the TMR suppression due to the Kondo effect has been found in these junctions, with both effects having been found to coexist even in the same sample. It is possible to tune between these two states with temperature (at a temperature far below the cluster blocking temperature). In addition, when further decreasing the size of the CoPt clusters, another gradual transition between the Kondo effect and direct tunneling between the electrodes takes place. This second transition shows that the spin-flip processes found in junctions with impurities in the barrier are in fact due to the Kondo effect. A simple theoretical model able to account for these experimental results is proposed.

Spin-transfer torques offer great promise for the development of spin-based devices. The effects of spin-transfer torques are typically analysed in terms of adiabatic and non-adiabatic contributions. Currently, a comprehensive interpretation of the non-adiabatic term remains elusive, with suggestions that it may arise from universal effects related to dissipation processes in spin dynamics, while other studies indicate a strong influence from the symmetry of magnetization gradients. Here we show that enhanced magnetic imaging under dynamic excitation can be used to differentiate between non-adiabatic spin-torque and extraneous influences. We combine Lorentz microscopy with gigahertz excitations to map the orbit of a magnetic vortex core with5 nm resolution. Imaging of the gyrotropic motion reveals subtle changes in the ellipticity, amplitude and tilt of the orbit as the vortex is driven through resonance, providing a robust method to determine the non-adiabatic spin torque parameter β=0.15±0.02 with unprecedented precision, independent of external effects.