Oleg E. Parfenov

An experimental and theoretical study of martensitic phase transitions in Li and Na under pressure

By using the methods of acoustic emission and neutron-structure analysis, the effect of pressure p on low-temperature phase transitions in Li and Na is investigated. In Li, within the investigated interval of p <or approximately=3 GPa, the transition temperature rises with pressure, and the low-temperature phase has a 9R structure. In Na, on the contrary, pressure suppresses the transition, so that it disappears even at p=0.1-0.2 GPa but the 9R phase is the low-temperature one too. The shape of acoustic emission signals suggests the presence of pretransition phenomena and differences in the kinetics of transitions in Li and Na. Calculations performed explain the difference in the influence of pressure on structural stability of Li and Na by the effect of proximity of the Fermi level to peaks in the electronic density of states, which appears under pressure in Li but is absent from Na. The same effects account for a premartensitic softening of the shear constant, observed under compression of Li.

Europium Silicide – a Prospective Material for Contacts with Silicon

Metal-silicon junctions are crucial to the operation of semiconductor devices: aggressive scaling demands low-resistive metallic terminals to replace high-doped silicon in transistors. It suggests an efficient charge injection through a low Schottky barrier between a metal and Si. Tremendous efforts invested into engineering metal-silicon junctions reveal the major role of chemical bonding at the interface: premier contacts entail epitaxial integration of metal silicides with Si. Here we present epitaxially grown EuSi2/Si junction characterized by RHEED, XRD, transmission electron microscopy, magnetization and transport measurements. Structural perfection leads to superb conductivity and a record-low Schottky barrier with n-Si while an antiferromagnetic phase invites spin-related applications. This development opens brand-new opportunities in electronics.

Manifestation of ferromagnetism in lightly oxygen-doped La2CuO4 single crystals in magnetic fields H<50 Oe

The temperature and field dependences χ(T,H) in La2CuO4+δ single crystals with δ<0.015 have been investigated in magnetic fields 0.1<H<450 Oe by the differential magnetic susceptibility method. It was found that under oxygen doping conditions ferromagnetic regions are formed. These regions produce a characteristic curve of the magnetic susceptibility χ(T,H), which is observed only in magnetic fields of less than 50 Oe. This can be explained by the formation of ferrons [A. Aharony et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 1330 (1988); L. I. Glazman and A. S. Ioselevich, Z. Phys. B 80, 268 (1990)] in an antiferromagnetic matrix.

Structural coupling across the direct EuO/Si interface.

The ferromagnetic semiconductor EuO is believed to be an effective spin injector when directly integrated with silicon (Si). Injection through spin-selective ohmic contact requires superb structural quality of the interface EuO/Si. A recent breakthrough in manufacturing free-of-buffer-layer EuO/Si junctions calls for structural studies of the interface between the semiconductors. The synthesis of EuO employs an advanced protection of the Si substrate surface and a two-step growth protocol. It prevents unwanted chemical reactions at the interface. Ex situ high-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD) and reflectivity (XRR) accompanied by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction reveal direct coupling at the interface. A combined analysis of XRD and XRR data provides a common structural model. The structural quality of the EuO/Si spin contact far exceeds that of previous reports and thus makes a step forward to the ultimate goals of spintronics.

Emerging two-dimensional ferromagnetism in silicene materials

The appeal of ultra-compact spintronics drives intense research on magnetism in low-dimensional materials. Recent years have witnessed remarkable progress in engineering two-dimensional (2D) magnetism via defects, edges, adatoms, and magnetic proximity. However, intrinsic 2D ferromagnetism remained elusive until recent discovery of out-of-plane magneto-optical response in Cr-based layers, stimulating the search for 2D magnets with tunable and diverse properties. Here we employ a bottom-up approach to produce layered structures of silicene (a Si counterpart of graphene) functionalized by rare-earth atoms, ranging from the bulk down to one monolayer. We track the evolution from the antiferromagnetism of the bulk to intrinsic 2D in-plane ferromagnetism of ultrathin layers, with its characteristic dependence of the transition temperature on low magnetic fields. The emerging ferromagnetism manifests itself in the electron transport. The discovery of a class of robust 2D magnets, compatible with the mature Si technology, is instrumental for engineering new devices and understanding spin phenomena.Exploring the magnetism in 2D materials paves the way to low-dimensional spintronics. Here the authors report evolution of bulk antiferromagnetism to intrinsic 2D in-plane ferromagnetism in layered structures of silicene functionalized by rare-earth atoms as they are scaled down to one monolayer.

High-Temperature Magnetism in Graphene Induced by Proximity to EuO

Addition of magnetism to spectacular properties of graphene may lead to novel topological states and design of spin logic devices enjoying low power consumption. A significant progress is made in defect-induced magnetism in graphene-selective elimination of p z orbitals (by vacancies or adatoms) at triangular sublattices tailors graphene magnetism. Proximity to a magnetic insulator is a less invasive way, which is being actively explored now. Integration of graphene with the ferromagnetic semiconductor EuO has much to offer, especially in terms of proximity-induced spin-orbit interactions. Here, we synthesize films of EuO on graphene using reactive molecular beam epitaxy. Their quality is attested by electron and X-ray diffraction, cross-sectional electron microscopy, and Raman and magnetization measurements. Studies of electron transport reveal a magnetic transition at TC* ≈ 220 K, well above the Curie temperature 69 K of EuO. Up to TC*, the dependence R xy( B) is strongly nonlinear, suggesting the presence of the anomalous Hall effect. The role of synthesis conditions is highlighted by studies of an overdoped structure. The results justify the use of the EuO/graphene system in spintronics.

Spin gap in heavy fermion compound UBe13

Heavy fermion (HF) compounds are well known for their unique properties, such as narrow bandwidths, loss of coherence in a metal, non-Fermi-liquid behaviour, unconventional superconductivity, huge magnetoresistance etc. While these materials have been known since the 1970s, there is still considerable uncertainty regarding the fundamental mechanisms responsible for some of these features. Here we report transverse-field muon spin rotation (μ +SR) experiments on the canonical HF compound UBe13 in the temperature range from 0.025 to 300 K and in magnetic fields up to 7 T. The μ +SR spectra exhibit a sharp anomaly at 180 K. We present a simple explanation of the experimental findings identifying this anomaly with a gap in the spin excitation spectrum of f-electrons opening near 180 K. It is consistent with anomalies discovered in heat capacity, NMR and optical conductivity measurements of UBe13, as well as with the new resistivity data presented here. The proposed physical picture may explain several long-standing mysteries of UBe13 (as well as other HF systems).

Fine structure of metal–insulator transition in EuO resolved by doping engineering

Metal-insulator transitions (MITs) offer new functionalities for nanoelectronics. However, ongoing attempts to control the resistivity by external stimuli are hindered by strong coupling of spin, charge, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. This difficulty presents a quest for materials which exhibit MIT caused by a single degree of freedom. In the archetypal ferromagnetic semiconductor EuO, magnetic orders dominate the MIT. Here we report a new approach to take doping under control in this material on the nanoscale: formation of oxygen vacancies is strongly suppressed to exhibit the highest MIT resistivity jump and magnetoresistance among thin films. The nature of the MIT is revealed in Gd doped films. The critical doping is determined to be more than an order of magnitude lower than in all previous studies. In lightly doped films, a remarkable thermal hysteresis in resistivity is discovered. It extends over 100 K in the paramagnetic phase reaching 3 orders of magnitude. In the warming mode, the MIT is shown to be a two-step process. The resistivity patterns are consistent with an active role of magnetic polarons-formation of a narrow band and its thermal destruction. High-temperature magnetic polaron effects include large negative magnetoresistance and ferromagnetic droplets revealed by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Our findings have wide-range implications for the understanding of strongly correlated oxides and establish fundamental benchmarks to guide theoretical models of the MIT.

Anomalous Hall effect in the prospective spintronic material Eu1-x Gd x O integrated with Si.

Remarkable properties of EuO make it a versatile spintronic material. Despite numerous experimental and theoretical studies of EuO, little is known about the anomalous Hall effect in this ferromagnet. So far, the effect has not been observed in bulk EuO, though has been detected in EuO films with uncontrolled distribution of defects. In the present work doping is taken under control: epitaxial films of Gd-doped EuO are synthesized integrated with Si using molecular beam epitaxy and characterized with x-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements. Nanoscale transport studies reveal the anomalous Hall effect in the ferromagnetic region for samples with different Gd concentration. The saturated anomalous Hall effect conductivity value of 5.0 S·cm(-1) in Gd-doped EuO is more than an order of magnitude larger than those reported so far for Eu chalcogenides doped with anion vacancies.

Spin-polaron band in the ferromagnetic heavy-fermion superconductor UGe2

It has long been believed that coexistence among ferromagnetic ordering, superconductivity or heavy-fermion behaviour is impossible, as the former supports parallel spin alignment while the latter two phenomena assume a spin-singlet configuration. This understanding has recently been challenged by a number of observations in uranium intermetallic systems where superconductivity (SC) is found within a ferromagnetic state and both ordering phenomena are facilitated by the same set of comparatively heavy quasiparticles which bind into spin-triplet pairs in the SC state. Within the heavy-fermion scenario, this mechanism necessarily assumes that the magnetism has a band character. This band is expected to be responsible for all three phenomena – heavy-fermion behaviour, ferromagnetism and superconductivity – although its nature and the nature of the heavy quasiparticles have so far remained unclear. Our high-field muon spin rotation measurements are indicative of spin polarons of subnanometer size in UGe2. These spin polarons behave as heavy quasiparticles made of 5f electrons. Once coherence is established, they may form a narrow spin-polaron band which thus may provide a natural reconciliation of itinerant ferromagnetism with spin-triplet superconductivity and heavy-fermion behaviour.