Erik Wahlström

Preparation and characterization of electrochemically etched W tips for STM

We have investigated methods for cleaning dc-etched polycrystalline tungsten tips for scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). The cleaning methods include Ar-ion sputtering, heating, chemical treatments and Ne-ion self-sputtering. We correlate transmission electron microscopy images of the tip, field-emission data from the tip and images of a clean Cu(111) surface to find an optimum procedure for STM imaging. Clean and sharp tips are made by sputtering, combined with careful heating by electron bombardment. We found that optimum sputtering was obtained either by use of a 4 keV Ar-ion gun for a few seconds or by self-sputtering with Ne ions for a few seconds or until decapitation occurs.

Tailoring the magnetodynamic properties of nanomagnets using magnetocrystalline and shape anisotropies

Magnetodynamical properties of nanomagnets are affected by the demagnetizing fields created by the same nanoelements. In addition, magnetocrystalline anisotropy produces an effective field that also contributes to the spin dynamics. We show how the dimensions of magnetic elements can be used to balance crystalline and shape anisotropies, and that this can be used to tailor the magnetodynamic properties. We study ferromagnetic ellipses patterned from a 10-nm-thick epitaxial Fe film with dimensions ranging from 50×150 to 150×450 nm. The study combines ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectroscopy with analytical calculations and micromagnetic simulations, and proves that the dynamical properties can be effectively controlled by changing the size of the nanomagnets. We also show how edge defects in the samples influence the magnetization dynamics. Dynamical edge modes localized along the sample edges are strongly influenced by edge defects, and this needs to be taken into account in understanding the full FMR spectrum.

Describing synchronization and topological excitations in arrays of magnetic spin torque oscillators through the Kuramoto model.

The collective dynamics in populations of magnetic spin torque oscillators (STO) is an intensely studied topic in modern magnetism. Here, we show that arrays of STO coupled via dipolar fields can be modeled using a variant of the Kuramoto model, a well-known mathematical model in non-linear dynamics. By investigating the collective dynamics in arrays of STO we find that the synchronization in such systems is a finite size effect and show that the critical coupling—for a complete synchronized state—scales with the number of oscillators. Using realistic values of the dipolar coupling strength between STO we show that this imposes an upper limit for the maximum number of oscillators that can be synchronized. Further, we show that the lack of long range order is associated with the formation of topological defects in the phase field similar to the two-dimensional XY model of ferromagnetism. Our results shed new light on the synchronization of STO, where controlling the mutual synchronization of several oscillators is considered crucial for applications.

Eddy current interactions in a ferromagnet-normal metal bilayer structure, and its impact on ferromagnetic resonance lineshapes

We investigate the effect of eddy currents on ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in ferromagnet-normal metal (FM/NM) bilayer structures. Eddy-current effects are usually neglected for NM layer thicknesses below the microwave (MW) skin depth (approx. 800 nm for Au at 10 GHz). However, we show that in much thinner NM layers (10-100 nm of Au or Cu) they induce a phase shift in the FMR excitation when the MW driving field has a component perpendicular to the sample plane. This results in a strong asymmetry of the measured absorption lines. In contrast to typical eddy-current effects, the asymmetry is larger for thinner NM layers and is tunable through changing the sample geometry and the NM layer thickness.

Magnetic and transport properties of Ni81Fe19∕Al2O3 granular multilayers approaching the superparamagnetic limit

The magnetic and transport properties of Ni81Fe19∕Al2O3 granular multilayer films were studied in relation to their structural properties as the nominal thickness t of the permalloy (Ni81Fe19) layer was varied near the percolation limit: in the range of 8⩽t⩽16A while keeping the nominal thickness of the Al2O3 layers constant at 16A. A good structural quality of the multilayers was demonstrated by low angle x-ray reflectivity measurements, and transmission electron microscopy showed the transition from continuous permalloy layers separated by aluminium oxide layers for t=16A to metal grains dispersed in the insulator at t=8A. Magnetization measurements showed the gradual transition from ferromagnetic layers to superparamagnetic clusters and grains that successively become blocked as the temperature decreases. A strong correlation between transport and structural properties was observed in the temperature (T) dependence of the electrical resistance measured with the current in the plane in the range of 2⩽T⩽...

Eddy-current effects on ferromagnetic resonance: Spin wave excitations and microwave screening effects

We investigate how controlling induced eddy currents in thin film ferromagnet-normal metal (FM/NM) structures can be used to tailor the local microwave (MW) fields in ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) experiments. The MW fields produced by eddy currents will in general have a relative phase shift with respect to the applied MW field which depends on the sample geometry. The induced fields can thus partially compensate the applied MW field, effectively screening the FM in selected parts of the sample. The highly localized fields produced by eddy currents enable the excitation of spin wave modes with non-zero wave vectors ( k≠0), in contrast to the uniform k = 0 mode normally excited in FMR experiments. We find that the orientation of the applied MW field is one of the key parameters controlling the eddy-current effects. The induced currents are maximized when the applied MW field is oriented perpendicular to the sample plane. Increasing the magnitude of the eddy currents results in a stronger induced MW field,...

Low-Temperature Growth of Bismuth Thin Films with (111) Facet on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite

The epitaxial growth of artificial two-dimensional metals at interfaces plays a key role in fabricating heterostructures for nanoelectronics. Here, we present the growth of bismuth nanostructures on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions, which was investigated thoroughly by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). It was found that (111)-oriented bilayers are formed on as-cleaved high-quality HOPG at 140 K, which opens the possibility of making Bi(111) thin films on a semimetal, and this is a notable step forward from the earlier studies, which show that only Bi(110) facets could be formed at ultrathin thickness at room temperature. XPS investigation of both C 1s and Bi 4f reflects the rather weak bonding between the Bi film and the HOPG substrate and suggests a quasi layer-by-layer growth mode of Bi nanostructures on HOPG at low temperature. Moreover, the evolution of the valence band of the interface is recorded by UPS, and a transition from quantum well states to bulk-like features is observed at varying film thickness. Unlike semimetallic bulk bismuth, ultrathin Bi(111) films are expected to be topological insulators. Our study may therefore pave the way for the generation of high quality Bi nanostructures to be used in spin electronics.

Superspin glass state and exchange bias in amorphous Fe/Fe-O core/shell nanoparticles

Nanoparticles of iron and iron oxide are widely explored in several biomedical and technological applications. We report on the magnetic properties of amorphous Fe/Fe–O core/shell nanoparticles compared to those of a reference system with crystalline Fe–O nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are prepared by thermal decomposition of iron precursor, where the amorphous and crystalline nature of core and shell is determined by the choice and concentration of the ligand. The crystalline system exhibits a blocking temperature higher than 300 K and negligible exchange bias effect. In contrast, the amorphous systems display large exchange bias, and collective magnetic behavior at low temperatures, with features of magnetic frustration and disorder reminiscent of those observed in spin glass and superspin glass systems. We discuss the origin of the dynamical magnetic behavior of the amorphous particles and study the dependence of the exchange bias field on the cooling field.

Exploring the accessible frequency range of phase-resolved ferromagnetic resonance detected with x-rays

We present time-and element-resolved measurements of the magnetization dynamics in a ferromagnetic trilayer structure. A pump-probe scheme was utilized with a microwave magnetic excitation field ph ...

One-dimensional spin texture of Bi(441): Quantum spin Hall properties without a topological insulator

The high index (441) surface of bismuth has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (APRES), and spin-resolved ARPES. The surface is strongly corrugated, exposing a regular array of (110)-like terraces. Two surface localized states are observed, both of which are linearly dispersing in one in-plane direction (k(x)), and dispersionless in the orthogonal in-plane direction (k(y)), and both of which have a Dirac-like crossing at k(x) = 0. Spin ARPES reveals a strong in-plane polarization, consistent with Rashba-like spin-orbit coupling. One state has a strong out-of-plane spin component, which matches with the miscut angle, suggesting its possible origin as an edge state. The electronic structure of Bi(441) has significant similarities with topological insulator surface states and is expected to support one-dimensional quantum spin Hall-like coupled spin-charge transport properties with inhibited backscattering, without requiring a topological insulator bulk.