1. Quantitative magnetic imaging at the nanometer scale by ballistic electron magnetic microscopy
- Author
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Sylvain Tricot, Bruno Lépine, Philippe Schieffer, Pascal Turban, Marie Hervé, S. Guézo, Gabriel Delhaye, Institut de Physique de Rennes (IPR), Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Région Bretagne, Rennes Métropole, and Université de Rennes (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
current density ,Materials science ,III-V semiconductors ,Magnetic domain ,Magnetoresistance ,micromagnetics ,General Physics and Astronomy ,FOS: Physical sciences ,molecular beam epitaxial growth ,02 engineering and technology ,Electron ,magnetic domains ,spin valves ,75.75.Cd ,75.70.Cn ,75.60.Ch ,75.60.Ej ,75.30.Kz ,81.15.Hi ,01 natural sciences ,nanopatterning ,magnetic epitaxial layers ,Magnetization ,Condensed Matter::Materials Science ,iron ,enhanced magnetoresistance ,magnetisation ,0103 physical sciences ,nanostructured materials ,nanomagnetics ,010306 general physics ,magnetic multilayers ,Micromagnetics ,Magnetization dynamics ,Condensed Matter - Materials Science ,Condensed matter physics ,semiconductor-metal boundaries ,Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) ,gold ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,gallium arsenide ,magnetic transitions ,[PHYS.COND.CM-MS]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci] ,nanofabrication ,hot carriers ,0210 nano-technology ,Current density ,Molecular beam epitaxy - Abstract
International audience; We demonstrate quantitative ballistic electron magnetic microscopy (BEMM) imaging of simple model Fe(001) nanostructures. We use in situ nanostencil shadow mask resistless patterning combined with molecular beam epitaxy deposition to prepare under ultra-high vacuum conditions nanostructured epitaxial Fe/Au/Fe/GaAs(001) spin-valves. In this epitaxial system, the magnetization of the bottom Fe/GaAs(001) electrode is parallel to the [110] direction, defining accurately the analysis direction for the BEMM experiments. The large hot-electron magnetoresistance of the Fe/Au/Fe/GaAs(001) epitaxial spin-valve allows us to image various stable magnetic configurations on the as-grown Fe(001) microstructures with a high sensitivity, even for small misalignments of both magnetic electrodes. The angular dependence of the hot-electron magnetocurrent is used to convert magnetization maps calculated by micromagnetic simulations into simulated BEMM images. The calculated BEMM images and magnetization rotation profiles show quantitative agreement with experiments and allow us to investigate the magnetic phase diagram of these model Fe(001) microstructures. Finally, magnetic domain reversals are observed under high current density pulses. This opens the way for further BEMM investigations of current-induced magnetization dynamics.
- Published
- 2013
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