Search

The emerging two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials present atomic layer thickness and a perfect interface feature, which have become an attractive research direction in the field of spintronics f...

Rare-earth-transition-metal (RETM) ferrimagnets have received great attention for their small magnetic moments and fast dynamics in the development of next-generation spintronic devices. Here, we study spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in the RETM ferrimagnet and heavy-metal bilayers of ${\mathrm{Co}}_{1\text{\ensuremath{-}}x}{\mathrm{Tb}}_{x}/\mathrm{Pt}$. Anomalous temperature dependence of the SMR is observed, where the SMR changes nonmonotonically and has a valley next to the magnetization compensation temperature. Additionally, we find that the SMR varies significantly for different chemical compositions of ${\mathrm{Co}}_{1\text{\ensuremath{-}}x}{\mathrm{Tb}}_{x}$ alloys. These anomalous behaviors are interpreted as the dramatically altered spin polarization of the ${\mathrm{Co}}_{1\text{\ensuremath{-}}x}{\mathrm{Tb}}_{x}$ layer near the compensation point. By deducing spin polarization from the abnormal temperature dependence of SMR, we provide a convenient way to access spin polarization of the RETM ferrimagnets. These experimental results show implications for tunable spin-current sources of RETM ferrimagnets.

The topological material of $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{o}}_{2}\mathrm{MnGa}$ with potentially high spin polarization has attracted more and more attention, in the fields of fundamental science and spintronic applications. Here we report the electrical- and magnetotransport behaviors in epitaxial $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{o}}_{2}\mathrm{MnGa}$ thin films. An angle-independent negative linear magnetoresistance and a negative anisotropy magnetoresistance are observed in the whole temperature range from 3 to 300 K, indicating the existence of weak spin disorder and a high spin polarization. Intriguingly, with decreasing temperature an anomalous resistivity upturn that exhibits $\ensuremath{-}{T}^{1/2}$ dependence is observed, and this phenomenon is robust under magnetic fields. Further analysis demonstrates that the three-dimensional enhanced electron-electron interaction effect is responsible for these phenomena rather than the orbital two-channel Kondo effect or other quantum interference effects, which provides deeper insight into the transport behavior of the $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{o}}_{2}\mathrm{MnGa}$ materials.

Compensated ferrimagnetic materials such as Co–Tb and Co–Gd have been confirmed to have significant spin–orbit torque (SOT) efficiency. However, the large coercivity and a relatively small spin-mixing conductance may hinder the applications of the near compensated ferrimagnets. In this work, we investigate the SOT effect and its potential applications in Ta/Co–Tb/Pt heterostructures. Based on a Co-rich ferrimagnetic alloy, we obtain a significant SOT switching efficiency of 15 ± 1 (10−6 Oe cm2/A) and a considerable effective spin Hall angle of θ eff = 0.270 ± 0.005. Using harmonic Hall measurement, the temperature dependence of the damping-like effective field has been extracted. The SOT efficiency scales linearly with 1/Ms in the high-temperature range but significantly deviates from this linear scaling law at a lower temperature, which is near the compensation point. In the Tb rich Ta/Co–Tb/Pt SOT device, we demonstrate the functionality of a neuron and the dependence of firing possibility on the intensity of coming stimulus, which is mimicked by the SOT switching dynamics in the ferrimagnetic Co–Tb alloy.

Here we report on the Ga self-catalyzed growth of near full-composition-range energy-gap-tunable GaAs1–xSbx nanowires by molecular-beam epitaxy. GaAs1–xSbx nanowires with different Sb content are systematically grown by tuning the Sb and As fluxes, and the As background. We find that GaAs1–xSbx nanowires with low Sb content can be grown directly on Si(111) substrates (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.60) and GaAs nanowire stems (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.50) by tuning the Sb and As fluxes. To obtain GaAs1–xSbx nanowires with x ranging from 0.60 to 0.93, we grow the GaAs1–xSbx nanowires on GaAs nanowire stems by tuning the As background. Photoluminescence measurements confirm that the emission wavelength of the GaAs1–xSbx nanowires is tunable from 844 nm (GaAs) to 1760 nm (GaAs0.07Sb0.93). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images show that the grown GaAs1–xSbx nanowires have pure zinc-blende crystal structure. Room-temperature Raman spectra reveal a redshift of the optical phonons in the GaAs1–xSbx nanowires with x increasing fro...

Low-dimensional narrow-band-gap III-V semiconductors are key building blocks for the next generation of high-performance nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, and quantum devices. Realizing these various applications requires an efficient methodology that enables the material dimensional control during the synthesis process and the mass production of these materials with perfect crystallinity, reproducibility, low cost, and outstanding electronic and optoelectronic properties. Although advances in one- and two-dimensional narrow-band-gap III-V semiconductors synthesis, the progress toward reliable methods that can satisfy all of these requirements has been limited. Here, we demonstrate an approach that provides a precise control of the dimension of InAs from one-dimensional nanowires to wafer-scale free-standing two-dimensional nanosheets, which have a high degree of crystallinity and outstanding electrical and optical properties, using molecular-beam epitaxy by controlling catalyst alloy segregation. In our approach, two-dimensional InAs nanosheets can be obtained directly from one-dimensional InAs nanowires by silver-indium alloy segregation, which is much easier than the previously reported methods, such as the traditional buffering technique and select-area epitaxial growth. Detailed transmission electron microscopy investigations provide solid evidence that the catalyst alloy segregation is the origination of the InAs dimensional transformation from one-dimensional nanowires to two-dimensional nanosheets and even to three-dimensional complex crosses. Using this method, we find that the wafer-scale free-standing InAs nanosheets can be grown on various substrates including Si, MgO, sapphire, GaAs, etc. The InAs nanosheets grown at high temperature are pure-phase single crystals and have a high electron mobility and a long time-resolved terahertz kinetics lifetime. Our work will open up a conceptually new and general technology route toward the effective controlling of the dimension of the low-dimensional III-V semiconductors. It may also enable the low-cost fabrication of free-standing nanosheet-based devices on an industrial scale.

Current-induced magnetization switching plays an essential role in spintronic devices exhibiting nonvolatility, high-speed processing, and low-power consumption. Here, we report on the spin–orbit torque-induced magnetization switching in perpendicularly magnetized L10-MnGa/FeMn/Pt trilayers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. An antiferromagnetic FeMn layer is inserted between the spin current generating Pt layer and spin absorbing MnGa layer. Due to the exchange bias effect, the trilayers show field-free spin–orbit torque switching. Overall, the spin transmission efficiency decreases monotonically as the FeMn thickness increases. It is found that the spin current can be transmitted through an 8 nm-thick FeMn layer as evidenced by partial switching of the L10-MnGa. The damping-like spin–orbit torque efficiency shows a peak value at tFeMn = 1.5 nm due to the enhanced interfacial spin transparency and crystalline quality of the FeMn. These results help demonstrate the efficacy of emerging spintronic devices containing antiferromagnetic elements.

Because tetragonal structured MnGa alloy has intrinsic (not interface induced) giant perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), ultra-low damping constant and high spin polarization, it is predicted to be a kind of suitable magnetic electrode candidate in the perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (p-MTJ) for high density spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) applications. However, p-MTJs with both bottom and top MnGa electrodes have not been achieved yet, since high quality perpendicular magnetic MnGa films can hardly be obtained on the MgO barrier due to large lattice mismatch and surface energy difference between them. Here, a MnGa-based fully p-MTJ with the structure of MnGa/Co2MnSi/MgO/Co2MnSi/MnGa is investigated. As a result, the multilayer is with high crystalline quality, and both the top and bottom MnGa electrodes show well PMA. Meanwhile, a distinct tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio of 65% at 10 K is achieved. Ultrathin Co2MnSi films are used to optimize the interface quality between MnGa and MgO barrier. A strong antiferromagnetic coupling in MnGa/Co2MnSi bilayer is confirmed with the interfacial exchange coupling constant of −5erg/cm2. This work proposes a novel p-MTJ structure for the future STT-MRAM progress.

We report on the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) effect in fully perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) with the core structure of L10-MnAl/MgO/Co2MnSi/MnAl. The multilayer is epitaxially grown on GaAs (0 0 1) substrate by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), and both the top and bottom MnAl layers show well perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). Meanwhile, an inverse TMR effect with the MR ratio of 10% is observed at 5 K, which is attributed to the intrinsic negative spin polarization of MnAl in contrast to the positive one in Co2MnSi. This work proposes a MnAl-based fully p-MTJ for future STT-MRAM applications.

We report on the spontaneous perpendicular exchange bias effect in as-grown L10-MnGa/FeMn bilayers. An FeMn layer with different thicknesses is introduced as an antiferromagnetic layer to couple with single-crystalline ferromagnetic L10-MnGa, which is epitaxially grown on a GaAs (001) substrate by molecular-beam epitaxy. The perpendicular exchange bias shows a strong dependence on both the thickness of the FeMn layer and the measurement temperature. A large spontaneous perpendicular exchange bias up to 8.9 kOe is achieved in L10-MnGa/FeMn bilayers at 5 K without any external magnetic treatment. The corresponding effective interfacial exchange energy Jeff is estimated to be 1.4 mJ/m2. The spontaneous perpendicular exchange bias effect in the (001) textured L10-MnGa/FeMn bilayers paves the way for spintronic devices based on exchange biased perpendicularly magnetized materials.

We report on the investigation of the magnetic tunnel junction structure designed for high magnetic field sensors with a perpendicularly magnetized L10-MnGa reference layer and an in-plane magnetized Fe sensing layer. A large linear tunneling magnetoresistance ratio up to 27.4% and huge dynamic range up to 5600 Oe have been observed at 300 K, with a low nonlinearity of 0.23% in the optimized magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The field response of tunneling magnetoresistance is discussed to explain the field sensing properties in the dynamic range. These results indicate that L10-MnGa based orthogonal MTJ is a promising candidate for a high performance magnetic field sensor with a large dynamic range, high endurance and low power consumption.

Spin Hall effect (SHE) and its inverse enable the interconversion between charge current and spin current. It is widely recognized that the SHE occurs in a nonmagnetic material with strong spin–orbit interaction. However, it can be generated even in magnetic materials such as ferromagnets, antiferromagnets, and those mixtures, i.e., spin glass. Here we review the SHEs in two typical magnetic systems. One is the SHE in a weak ferromagnetic metal in the vicinity of the Curie temperature where a nonlinear magnetic susceptibility can be detected. The other is the SHE in a spin glass metal where fluctuations at the magnetic impurity sites can be measured electrically in a very sensitive way. We argue that the spin current could be utilized as a sensor to detect a small magnetic fluctuation.

We have studied the magnetic properties of Co (2–12 MLs)/L10-Mn1.5Ga (15 nm) bilayers without and with annealing at 300 °C by a combination of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). We find that the Co layer can remain perpendicularly magnetized when its thickness is less than six monolayers due to the coupling between Co and L10-Mn1.5Ga layers, which is doubly confirmed by both SQUID and XMCD measurements. Such an exchange coupling between L10-Mn1.5Ga and Co layers changes from ferromagnetic coupling to antiferromagnetic coupling after the annealing process. Furthermore, the magnetic coupling can also be tailored from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic by changing the L10-Mn1.5Ga surface from Mn-rich to Ga-rich. The first-principles calculations show that the interfacial coupling type is ferromagnetic for a Mn-terminated L10-Mn1.5Ga bilayer, while antiferromagnetic for a Ga-terminated bilayer. The spin and orbital moments of Co in the Co/L10-Mn1.5Ga bilayers are calculated according to the sum rules and the ratio of the orbital to spin magnetic moments for Co is not enhanced like other perpendicularly magnetized Co-based multilayers such as Co/Pd and Co/Pt.

We study the extrinsic spin Hall effect induced by Ir impurities in Cu by injecting a pure spin current into a CuIr wire from a lateral spin valve structure. While no spin Hall effect is observed without Ir impurity, the spin Hall resistivity of CuIr increases linearly with the impurity concentration. The spin Hall angle of CuIr, $(2.1 \pm 0.6)$% throughout the concentration range between 1% and 12%, is practically independent of temperature. These results represent a clear example of predominant skew scattering extrinsic contribution to the spin Hall effect in a nonmagnetic alloy., 5 pages, 4 figures