Masaki Mizuguchi

Transmission of electrical signals by spin-wave interconversion in a magnetic insulator

The energy bandgap of an insulator is large enough to prevent electron excitation and electrical conduction. But in addition to charge, an electron also has spin, and the collective motion of spin can propagate—and so transfer a signal—in some insulators. This motion is called a spin wave and is usually excited using magnetic fields. Here we show that a spin wave in an insulator can be generated and detected using spin-Hall effects, which enable the direct conversion of an electric signal into a spin wave, and its subsequent transmission through (and recovery from) an insulator over macroscopic distances. First, we show evidence for the transfer of spin angular momentum between an insulator magnet Y3Fe5O12 and a platinum film. This transfer allows direct conversion of an electric current in the platinum film to a spin wave in the Y3Fe5O12 via spin-Hall effects. Second, making use of the transfer in a Pt/Y3Fe5O12/Pt system, we demonstrate that an electric current in one metal film induces voltage in the other, far distant, metal film. Specifically, the applied electric current is converted into spin angular momentum owing to the spin-Hall effect in the first platinum film; the angular momentum is then carried by a spin wave in the insulating Y3Fe5O12 layer; at the distant platinum film, the spin angular momentum of the spin wave is converted back to an electric voltage. This effect can be switched on and off using a magnetic field. Weak spin damping in Y3Fe5O12 is responsible for its transparency for the transmission of spin angular momentum. This hybrid electrical transmission method potentially offers a means of innovative signal delivery in electrical circuits and devices.

Fe?Ni composition dependence of magnetic anisotropy in artificially fabricated L1 0-ordered FeNi films

We prepared L10-ordered FeNi alloy films by alternate deposition of Fe and Ni monatomic layers, and investigated their magnetic anisotropy. We employed a non-ferromagnetic Au-Cu-Ni buffer layer with a flat surface and good lattice matching to L10-FeNi. An L10-FeNi film grown on Au6Cu51Ni43 showed a large uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy (Ku = 7.0 × 10(6) erg cm(-)3). Ku monotonically increased with the long-range order parameter (S) of the L10 phase. We investigated the Fe-Ni composition dependence by alternating the deposition of Fe 1 − x and Ni 1 + x monatomic layers (− 0.4 < x < 0.4). Saturation magnetization (Ms) and Ku showed maxima (Ms = 1470 emu cm(-3), Ku = 9.3 × 10(6) erg cm(-3)) for Fe60Ni40 (x = -0.2) while S showed a maximum at the stoichiometric composition (x = 0). The change in the ratio of lattice parameters (c/a) was small for all compositions. We found that enrichment of Fe is very effective to enhance Ku. The large Ms and Ku of Fe60Ni40 indicate that Fe-rich L10-FeNi is promising as a rare-earth-free permanent magnet.

Magnetic Anisotropy and Chemical Order of Artificially Synthesized L10-Ordered FeNi Films on Au–Cu–Ni Buffer Layers

L10-FeNi films were grown by alternate monatomic layer deposition on Au–Cu–Ni buffer layers at several substrate temperatures (Ts), and the relation between the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy (Ku) and the long-range chemical order parameter (S) was investigated. A large Ku of (7.0 ±0.2) ×106 erg/cm3 and S of 0.48 ±0.05 were obtained. The value of Ku was larger than those reported previously for artificially synthesized FeNi films. It was first found that both Ku and S increased with Ts, and Ku was roughly proportional to S.

Anomalous Nernst Effect in an L10-Ordered Epitaxial FePt Thin Film

The anomalous Nernst effect in a perpendicularly magnetized L10-ordered epitaxial FePt(001) thin film has been investigated, and the anomalous Nernst coefficient and the anomalous Nernst angle of the FePt thin film were experimentally evaluated. Furthermore, the voltage due to the anomalous Nernst effect in the spin-Hall device was simulated by the finite element method. A good agreement between the experiment and the simulation was found. It was revealed that the anomalous Nernst effect could be quantitatively discussed even in nanoscale devices.

Anomalous Nernst Effect in L10-FePt/MnGa Thermopiles for New Thermoelectric Applications

We propose a new-type of thermopile consisting of two ferromagnetic materials with anomalous Nernst effects (ANEs) of opposite signs. L10-FePt and L10-MnGa have been chosen as the materials because they show large ANEs with opposite signs. The combination of perpendicularly magnetized FePt and MnGa wires enhances the ANE voltage effectively. The ANE in in-plane magnetized FePt films induced by applying a perpendicular temperature difference shows no variation against the film thickness, which is a promising characteristic for thermoelectric applications because the internal resistance of the thermopile, which determines the extractable electric power, can be reduced by increasing the thickness of ferromagnetic wires.

High-power rf oscillation induced in half-metallic Co2MnSi layer by spin-transfer torque

The rf oscillation induced in a current-perpendicular-to-plane device with Co2MnSi (CMS) layers by spin-transfer torque was investigated to enhance the rf output power due to the large magnetoresistance (MR) ratio. A large MR ratio of 12.5% was obtained due to the large spin-polarization of CMS, and fundamental and second harmonic rf oscillations were clearly observed in the CMS layer. A high rf output power of 1.1 nW was achieved in spite of a small precession angle of 8.6°.

Structural, magnetic and electronic state characterization of L1 0-type ordered FeNi alloy extracted from a natural meteorite

To understand the hard magnetism of L10-type ordered FeNi alloy, we extracted the L10-FeNi phase from a natural meteorite, and evaluated its fundamental solid-state properties: sample composition, magnetic hysteresis, crystal structure and electronic structure. We executed multidirectional analyses using scanning electron microscopy with an electron probe micro-analyzer (SEM-EPMA), a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD). As a result, we found that the composition was Fe: 50.47 ± 1.98 at.%, Ni: 49.60 ± 1.49 at.%, and an obvious superlattice peak is confirmed. The estimated degree of order was 0.608, with lattice constants a = b = 3.582 Å and c = 3.607 Å. The obtained coercivity was more than 500 Oe. MCD analysis using the K absorption edge suggests that the magnetic anisotropy could originate from the orbital magnetic moment of 3d electrons in Fe; this result is consistent with that in a previous report obtained with synthetic L10-FeNi.

Characterization of Cu buffer layers for growth of L10-FeNi thin films

A Cu(001) layer was fabricated on a Au(001) layer to investigate the use of Cu as a buffer layer for growing L10-FeNi thin films. The epitaxial growth of a Cu buffer layer was observed using reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The flatness of the layer improved drastically with an increase in the substrate temperature although the layer was an alloy (AuCu3). An FeNi thin film was epitaxially grown on the AuCu3 buffer layer by alternate monatomic layer deposition and the formation of an L10-FeNi ordered alloy was expected. The AuCu3 buffer layer is thus a promising candidate material for the growth of L10-FeNi thin films.

Material dependence of anomalous Nernst effect in perpendicularly magnetized ordered-alloy thin films

Material dependence of the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) in perpendicularly magnetized ordered-alloy thin films is systematically investigated. The ANE was found to have a tendency to increase simply as uniaxial magnetic anisotropy increased at room temperature. The ANE increases as temperature increases from 10 to 300 K for all the materials. However, the signs of the ANE in Fe-based ordered-alloys (L10-FePt and L10-FePd) and in a Co/Ni multilayer are opposite to those in Mn-based ordered-alloys (L10-MnGa and D022-Mn2Ga). Ordered-alloys with larger uniaxial magnetic anisotropies reveal larger ANE and might be desirable for thermoelectric applications.

Formation of FeNi with L10-ordered structure using high-pressure torsion

FeNi with the L10-ordered structure is formed over an astronomical timescale in meteorites. In this study, severe plastic deformation using high-pressure torsion (HPT) is employed for the production of the L10 structure in the laboratory. Its formation is confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy. Processing of elemental nanopowders by HPT is an effective method for the formation of the L10 phase, which is enhanced by the addition of Co to FeNi or annealing after HPT. The formation of the phase must be associated with enhanced diffusion through HPT.