Seul Ki Bac

Observation of uniaxial anisotropy along the [100] direction in crystalline Fe film

We report an observation of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy along the [100] crystallographic direction in crystalline Fe film grown on Ge buffers deposited on a (001) GaAs substrate. As expected, planar Hall resistance (PHR) measurements reveal the presence of four in-plane magnetic easy axes, indicating the dominance of the cubic anisotropy in the film. However, systematic mapping of the PHR hysteresis loops observed during magnetization reversal at different field orientations shows that the easy axes along the and are not equivalent. Such breaking of the cubic symmetry can only be ascribed to the presence of uniaxial anisotropy along the direction of the Fe film. Analysis of the PHR data measured as a function of orientation of the applied magnetic field allowed us to quantify the magnitude of this uniaxial anisotropy field as Oe. Although this value is only 1.5% of cubic anisotropy field, its presence significantly changes the process of magnetization reversal, revealing the important role of the uniaxial anisotropy in Fe films. Breaking of the cubic symmetry in the Fe film deposited on a Ge buffer is surprising, and we discuss possible reason for this unexpected behavior.

Thickness dependence of uniaxial anisotropy fields in GaMnAs films

Our investigation of thin GaMnAs films with different thicknesses revealed that the magnetic properties of this material strongly depend on film thickness. For this study, a single GaMnAs film was selectively etched, and its properties were then investigated by planar Hall effect measurements. A particularly important conclusion from the results is the emergence of a uniaxial anisotropy field along the [100] crystalline direction, which increases rapidly with increasing film thickness. We argue that such thickness dependence of the [100] uniaxial anisotropy results from the crystal structure of the film, rather than from the effects of the interface between the GaMnAs and the substrate.

Magnetic properties of Ni films deposited on MBE grown Bi2Se3 layers

We have investigated the magnetic properties of the Ni films deposited on a GaAs and a Bi2Se3 buffer grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a GaAs (001) substrate. The magnetization measurements at 4 K revealed that the coercivity of the Ni films decreases monotonically with increasing thickness up to 25 nm in both cases. However, the coercivity measured at 4 K was always larger in the Ni film deposited on the surface of Bi2Se3 than in the film deposited on the GaAs. Such enhancement of the coercivity decreases with increasing temperature and film thickness. This suggests that the Bi2Se3 surface alters the magnetic properties of the Ni film. The increase of the coercivity was more serious in an un-capped Ni/Bi2Se3 sample, which showed an exchange bias effect due to the oxidation of the top surface of the Ni film. These observations are important for the investigation of spin dependent phenomena in magnetic systems involving a ferromagnet/topological insulator interface.

Effects on Magnetic Properties of GaMnAs Induced by Proximity of Topological Insulator Bi2Se3

Effects induced by a topological insulator Bi2Se3 on the magnetic properties of an adjacent GaMnAs film have been investigated using transport measurements. We observed three conspicuous effects in the GaMnAs layer induced by the proximity of the Bi2Se3 overlayer. First, our resistivity data as a function of temperature show that the GaMnAs layer adjacent to the Bi2Se3 displayed strongly metallic behavior, as compared with the GaMnAs control specimen. Second, the Curie temperature of the GaMnAs in the bilayer was observed to be higher than that of the control layer, in our case by nearly a factor of two. Finally, we observed significant changes in the in-plane magnetic anisotropy of the GaMnAs in the bilayer, in the form of much higher values of both cubic and uniaxial anisotropy parameters. This latter feature manifests itself in a rather spectacular increase of the coercive field observed in magnetization reversal across the in-plane hard axis. These results suggest that proximity of an adjacent Bi2Se3 layer represents an important tool for modifying and controlling the ferromagnetic properties of GaMnAs film, and could thus be used to optimize this and similar materials for applications in spintronic devices.

Magnetic anisotropy of quaternary GaMnAsP ferromagnetic semiconductor

We report a systemeatic investigation of magnetic anisotropy of quaternary GaMnAsP ferromagnetic semiconductor films by magneto-transport. Hall measurements showed a transition of the easy magnetization direction from in-plane to out-of plane with incorporation of the P into the GaMnAs films. Quantitative information on magnetic anisotropy of the films is obtained by fitting the angular dependence of Hall resistance data to magnetic free energy using the coherent rotation model. Values of magnetic anisotropy parameters show that in-plane anisotropy decreases and out-of-plane anisotropy increases with increasing P content in these films. The out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy in GaMnAsP layers is further enhanced by low temperature annealing. By optimizing the growth and annealing conditions, we were able to obtain a Curie temperature of 125 K in such quaternary films, with strong out-of-plane anisotropy. This study showed that the magnetic anisotropy of the GaMnAsP films can be controlled by adjusting the c...

Angular Dependence of Tunneling Magnetoresistance in Hybrid Fe/GaAlAs/GaMnAs Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

Tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) phenomena in hybrid Fe/GaAlAs/GaMnAs magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) were investigated by rotating a magnetic field of constant strength in the film plane. When a strong field (e.g., 4000 G) is used, the magnetization in GaMnAs and Fe coherently rotates in both layers, resulting in a smooth angular dependence of TMR. In contrast, abrupt transition steps and plateaus are observed in TMR, when a weak field (below 100 G) is rotated. The behavior observed in strong fields is ascribed to tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance, an effect that occurs when magnetizations in both magnetic layers in the MTJ are aligned parallel to each other. The tunneling behavior observed in weak fields, on the other hand, is caused by differences in relative magnetization alignments in the two layers that arise from differences in their magnetocrystalline anisotropies. The latter behavior provided the anisotropic TMR that involved with parallel and antiparallel alignments at specific crystallographic directions.

Magnetization reversal in trilayer structures consisting of GaMnAs layers with opposite signs of anisotropic magnetoresistance

Magnetization reversal in a GaMnAs trilayer system consisting of two GaMnAs layers separated by a Be-doped GaAs spacer was investigated by magnetotransport measurements. The rotation of magnetization in the two GaMnAs layers is observed as two abrupt independent transitions in planar Hall resistance (PHR). Interestingly, one GaMnAs layer manifests a positive change in PHR, while the other layer shows a negative change for the same rotation of magnetization. Such opposite behavior of the two layers indicates that anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) has opposite signs in the two GaMnAs layers. Owing to this opposite behavior of AMR, we are able to identify the sequence of magnetic alignments in the two GaMnAs layers during magnetization reversal. The PHR signal can then be decomposed into two independent contributions, which reveal that the magnetic anisotropy of the GaMnAs layer with negative AMR is predominantly cubic, while it is predominantly uniaxial in the layer with positive AMR. This investigation suggests the ability of engineering the sign of AMR in GaMnAs multilayers, thus making it possible to obtain structures with multi-valued PHR, that can be used as multinary magnetic memory devices.

Dependence of ferromagnetic properties on phosphorus concentration in Ga1-xMnxAs1-yPy

A series of Ga1-xMnxAs1-yPy thin films grown on GaAs (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy were systematically investigated to establish the effect of phosphorous on structural and magnetic properties of the alloy. Detailed characterization of both as-grown and annealed samples by x-ray diffraction and magnetometry were carried out. Reciprocal space map scans confirmed that the quaternary alloy is fully strained by the substrate throughout its thickness. Magnetization measurements revealed a clear trend of decreasing Curie temperature with increasing P concentration, and revealed that the magnetic easy axis gradually turns from in-plane to out-to-plane orientation as P concentration increases.A series of Ga1-xMnxAs1-yPy thin films grown on GaAs (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy were systematically investigated to establish the effect of phosphorous on structural and magnetic properties of the alloy. Detailed characterization of both as-grown and annealed samples by x-ray diffraction and magnetometry were carried out. Reciprocal space map scans confirmed that the quaternary alloy is fully strained by the substrate throughout its thickness. Magnetization measurements revealed a clear trend of decreasing Curie temperature with increasing P concentration, and revealed that the magnetic easy axis gradually turns from in-plane to out-to-plane orientation as P concentration increases.

Non-volatile logic gates based on planar Hall effect in magnetic films with two in-plane easy axes

We discuss the use of planar Hall effect (PHE) in a ferromagnetic GaMnAs film with two in-plane easy axes as a means for achieving novel logic functionalities. We show that the switching of magnetization between the easy axes in a GaMnAs film depends strongly on the magnitude of the current flowing through the film due to thermal effects that modify its magnetic anisotropy. Planar Hall resistance in a GaMnAs film with two in-plane easy axes shows well-defined maxima and minima that can serve as two binary logic states. By choosing appropriate magnitudes of the input current for the GaMnAs Hall device, magnetic logic functions can then be achieved. Specifically, non-volatile logic functionalities such as AND, OR, NAND, and NOR gates can be obtained in such a device by selecting appropriate initial conditions. These results, involving a simple PHE device, hold promise for realizing programmable logic elements in magnetic electronics.

Effect of Underlying Bi 2 Se 3 Surface on Magnetic Properties of Ni Films

We have investigated magnetic properties of Ni film specimens deposited either on GaAs or on Bi₂Se₃ surfaces. The magnetization saturation field along the out-of-plane direction observed in the Hall data was weaker for the Ni/Bi₂Se₃ sample than for the Ni/GaAs sample. On the other hand, planar Hall resistance measurements showed the larger in-plane coercive field for Ni/Bi₂Se₃ than for Ni/GaAs. These changes of magnetic hardness observed along the out-of-plane and in-plane directions in the Ni/Bi₂Se₃ specimen are consistent with effects arising from spin–orbit interaction at the surface of the Bi₂Se₃ topological insulator.