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2D materials offer the ability to expose their electronic structure to manipulations by a proximity effect. This could be harnessed to craft properties of 2D interfaces and van der Waals heterostructures in devices and quantum materials. We explore the possibility to create an artificial spin polarized electrode from graphene through proximity interaction with a ferromagnetic insulator to be used in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Ferromagnetic insulator/graphene artificial electrodes were fabricated and integrated in MTJs based on spin analyzers. Evidence of the emergence of spin polarization in proximitized graphene layers was observed through the occurrence of tunnel magnetoresistance. We deduced a spin dependent splitting of graphene's Dirac band structure (∼15 meV) induced by the proximity effect, potentially leading to full spin polarization and opening the way to gating. The extracted spin signals illustrate the potential of 2D quantum materials based on proximity effects to craft spintronics functionalities, from vertical MTJs memory cells to logic circuits., This work has received funding from the European Union’s H2020 Future and Emerging Technologies “Graphene Flagship” (Grant Core3 No. 881603), “SINFONIA” (No. 881603) projects and a Grant Agreement Marie Skłodowska Curie “ITN Spinograph” (No. 697904), as well as from EPSRC (EP/P005152/1, EP/K016636/1). This research is supported by a public grant overseen by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the “Investissements d’Avenir” program Labex NanoSaclay (ANR-10-LABX-0035), as well as grants STEM2D (ANR-19-CE24-0015), MIXES (ANR-19-CE09-0028), and by the Flag-ERA JTC 2019 project “SOGraphMEM” (ANR-19-GRFI-0001-07). This work has also received fundings from the “Spanish ministry of Science and Innovation” through “Severo Ochoa” (CEX2019-000917-S) and “OXISOT” (PID2021-128410OB-I00)., With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000917-S).

We report on large spin-filtering effects in epitaxial graphene-based spin valves, strongly enhanced in our specific multilayer case. Our results were obtained by the effective association of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) multilayer graphene with a high quality epitaxial Ni(111) ferromagnetic spin source. We highlight that the Ni(111) spin source electrode crystallinity and metallic state are preserved and stabilized by multilayer graphene CVD growth. Complete nanometric spin valve junctions are fabricated using a local probe indentation process, and spin properties are extracted from the graphene-protected ferromagnetic electrode through the use of a reference Al2O3/Co spin analyzer. Strikingly, spin-transport measurements in these structures give rise to large negative tunnel magneto-resistance TMR = −160%, pointing to a particularly large spin polarization for the Ni(111)/Gr interface PNi/Gr, evaluated up to −98%. We then discuss an emerging physical picture of graphene−ferromagnet systems, sustained both by experimental data and ab initio calculations, intimately combining efficient spin filtering effects arising (i) from the bulk band structure of the graphene layers purifying the extracted spin direction, (ii) from the hybridization effects modulating the amplitude of spin polarized scattering states over the first few graphene layers at the interface, and (iii) from the epitaxial interfacial matching of the graphene layers with the spin-polarized Ni surface selecting well-defined spin polarized channels. Importantly, these main spin selection effects are shown to be either cooperating or competing, explaining why our transport results were not observed before. Overall, this study unveils a path to harness the full potential of low Resitance. Area (RA) graphene interfaces in efficient spin-based devices.

We report on spin transport in state-of-the-art epitaxial monolayer graphene based 2D-magnetic tunnel junctions (2D-MTJs). In our measurements, supported by ab-initio calculations, the strength of interaction between ferromagnetic electrodes and graphene monolayers is shown to fundamentally control the resulting spin signal. In particular, by switching the graphene/ferromagnet interaction, spin transport reveals magneto-resistance signal MR > 80% in junctions with low resistance × area products. Descriptions based only on a simple K-point filtering picture (i.e. MR increase with the number of layers) are not sufficient to predict the behavior of our devices. We emphasize that hybridization effects need to be taken into account to fully grasp the spin properties (such as spin dependent density of states) when 2D materials are used as ultimately thin interfaces. While this is only a first demonstration, we thus introduce the fruitful potential of spin manipulation by proximity effect at the hybridized 2D material / ferromagnet interface for 2D-MTJs., 2D materials are foreseen as an opportunity to tailor spintronics devices interfaces, a.k.a spinterfaces. Here, using state-of-the-art large-scale integration in spin-valves, authors demonstrate that hybridization of graphene with a metallic spin source results in strong spin filtering effects.

2D materials have recently demonstrated a strong potential for spintronic applications. This has been further reinforced by the discovery of ferromagnetic 2D layers. Nevertheless, the fragility of ...

We report on spin transport in WS

International audience; We report on spin transport in WS2-based 2D-magnetic tunnel junctions (2D-MTJs), unveiling a band structure spin filtering effect specific to the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) family. WS2 mono-, bi-, and trilayers are derived by a chemical vapor deposition process and further characterized by Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and photoluminescence spec-troscopy. The WS2 layers are then integrated in complete Co/Al2O3 /WS2/Co MTJ hybrid spin-valve structures. We make use of a tunnel Co/Al2O3 spin analyzer to probe the extracted spin-polarized current from the WS2/Co interface and its evolution as a function of WS2 layer thicknesses. For monolayer WS2, our technological approach enables the extraction of the largest spin signal reported for a TMDC-based spin valve, corresponding to a spin polarization of PCo/WS2 = 12%. Interestingly, for bi-and trilayer WS2, the spin signal is reversed, which indicates a switch in the mechanism of interfacial spin extraction. With the support of ab initio calculations, we propose a model to address the experimentally measured inversion of the spin polarization based on the change in the WS2 band structure while going from monolayer (direct bandgap) to bilayer (indirect bandgap). These experiments illustrate the rich potential of the families of semiconducting 2D materials for the control of spin currents in 2D-MTJs.

The multilayer films [Al2O3/tCo Co/tPt Pt]N, produced by sequential deposition of Co and Pt on alumina consist in layers of CoPt alloyed nanoparticles. They show perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) below a freezing temperature Tf, an asperomagnetic-like phase below that temperature, and hard ferromagnetic ordering below a transition temperature T1 < Tf. A single layer granular film (N = 1) with deposition thicknesses tCo=0.7 nm, tPt=1.5 nm and particle diameter of 3 nm is presently studied. SQUID magnetometry shows that a single layer presents the three phases as well. Para-, aspero-and ferromagnetic phases are observed upon lowering the temperature, with transition temperatures Tf ≈ 375 K and T1 ≈ 200 K, respectively. In addition, the PMA persists, proving that there is no interlayer coupling in the multilayer system. SQUID results also reveal a core-shell structure in the CoPt nanoparticles.

Multilayers of bimetallic CoPd alloyed and assembled nanoparticles, prepared by room temperature sequential sputtering deposition on amorphous alumina, were studied by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, SQUID-based magnetometry and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Alloying between Co and Pd in these nanoparticles gives rise to a high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Their magnetic properties are temperature dependent: at low temperature, the multilayers are ferromagnetic with a high coercive field; at intermediate temperature the behavior is of a soft-ferromagnet, and at higher temperature, the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the nanoparticles disappears. The magnetic orbital moment to spin moment ratio is enhanced compared with Co bare nanoparticles and Co fcc bulk., The financial support of the Spanish MINECO MAT2011-23791, MAT2014-53921-R and Aragonese DGA-IMANA E34 projects is acknowledged.

Molecular spintronics is an effervescent field of research, which aims at combining spin physics and molecular nano-objects. In this article, we show that phthalocyanine molecules integrated in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) can lead to magnetoresistance effects of different origins. We have investigated cobalt and manganese phthalocyanine molecule based magnetic tunnel junctions. CoPc MTJs exhibit both tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) and tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) effects of similar magnitude. However, for MnPc MTJs, a giant TAMR dominates with ratios up to ten thousands of percent. Strong features visible in the conductance suggest that spin-flip inelastic electron tunneling processes occur through the Mn atomic chain formed by the MnPc stacks. These results show that metallo-organic molecules could be used as a template to connect magnetic atomic chains or even a single magnetic atom in a solid-state device.

International audience; We report on the integration of atomically thin 2D insulating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) tunnel barriers into magnetic tunnel junctions (2D-MTJs) by fabricating two illustrative systems (Co/h-BN/Co and Co/h-BN/Fe) and by discussing h-BN potential for metallic spin filtering. The h-BN is directly grown by chemical vapor deposition on prepatterned Co and Fe stripes. Spin-transport measurements reveal tunnel magneto-resistances in these h-BN-based MTJs as high as 12% for Co/h-BN/h-BN/Co and 50% for Co/h-BN/Fe. We analyze the spin polarizations of h-BN/Co and h-BN/Fe interfaces extracted from experimental spin signals in light of spin filtering at hybrid chemisorbed/ physisorbed h-BN, with support of ab initio calculations. These experiments illustrate the strong potential of h-BN for MTJs and are expected to ignite further investigations of 2D materials for large signal spin devices.

International audience; Spintronic devices based on pure spin currents have drawn a lot of attention during the last few years for low energy device design. One approach to generate pure spin currents is to combine a metallic or insulating ferromagnetic layer with a non-magnetic metallic layer with a large spin-orbit coupling. A recent controversy has arisen in the possible role of magnetic proximity effects at ferromagnetic/ non-magnetic interfaces, which can hamper the understanding of pure spin current generation mechanisms. While magnetic proximity effects have been frequently observed at ferromagnetic metal/non-magnetic interfaces, there are only a few studies on ferromagnetic insulator/non-magnetic interfaces. Regarding the use of ferromagnetic insulators, the focus has been mainly on yttrium iron garnet (YIG). However, investigation of induced magnetic moments at YIG/Pt interfaces has engendered contradictory results. Here, we propose to study insulating ferrites for which electronic and magnetic properties can be modulated. Magnetic proximity effects have been investigated at MnFe 2 O 4 /Pt, CoFe 2 O 4 /Pt, and NiFe 2 O 4 /Pt interfaces by X-ray circular magnetic dichroism (XMCD) measurements at the Pt L 3 edge. Although hybridization with Pt seems to be different among the ferrites, we do not detect any XMCD signal as the signature of an induced magnetism in Pt. We have then studied the Fe 3 O 4 ferrite below and above the Verwey transition temperature. No XMCD signal has been measured in the insulating or conducting phase of Fe 3 O 4. This suggests that the absence of magnetic proximity effects at ferrite/Pt interfaces is not linked to the insulating character or not of the ferrites.

Spin-polarized charge transfer between a ferromagnet and a molecule can promote molecular ferromagnetism 1, 2 and hybridized interfacial states3, 4. Observations of high spin-polarization of Fermi level states at room temperature5 designate such interfaces as a very promising candidate toward achieving a highly spin-polarized, nanoscale current source at room temperature, when compared to other solutions such as half-metallic systems and solid-state tunnelling over the past decades. We will discuss three aspects of this research. 1) Does the ferromagnet/molecule interface, also called an organic spinterface, exhibit this high spin-polarization as a generic feature? Spin-polarized photoemission experiments reveal that a high spin-polarization of electronics states at the Fermi level also exist at the simple interface between ferromagnetic cobalt and amorphous carbon6. Furthermore, this effect is general to an array of ferromagnetic and molecular candidates7. 2) Integrating molecules with intrinsic properties (e.g. spin crossover molecules) into a spinterface toward enhanced functionality requires lowering the charge transfer onto the molecule8 while magnetizing it1,2. We propose to achieve this by utilizing interlayer exchange coupling within a more advanced organic spinterface architecture. We present results at room temperature across the fcc Co(001)/Cu/manganese phthalocyanine (MnPc) system9. 3) Finally, we discuss how the Co/MnPc spinterface’s ferromagnetism stabilizes antiferromagnetic ordering at room temperature onto subsequent molecules away from the spinterface, which in turn can exchange bias the Co layer at low temperature10. Consequences include tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance across a CoPc tunnel barrier11. This augurs new possibilities to transmit spin information across organic semiconductors using spin flip excitations12.

Under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license.-- et al., Co-Pd multilayers obtained by Pd capping of pre-deposited Co nanoparticles on amorphous alumina are systematically studied by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, extended x-ray absorption fine structure, SQUID-based magnetometry, and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The films are formed by COPD alloyed nanoparticles self-organized across the layers, with the interspace between the nanoparticles filled by the non-alloyed Pd metal. The nanoparticles show atomic arrangements compatible with short-range chemical order of L10 strucure type. The collective magnetic behavior is that of ferromagnetically coupled particles with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, irrespective of the amount of deposited Pd. For increasing temperature three magnetic phases are identified: hard ferromagnetic with strong coercive field, soft-ferromagnetic as in an amorphous asperomagnet, and superparamagnetic. Increasing the amount of Pd in the system leads to both magnetic hardness increment and higher transition temperatures. Magnetic total moments of 1.77(4) μB and 0.45(4) μB are found at Co and Pd sites, respectively, where the orbital moment of Co, 0.40(2) μB, is high, while that of Pd is negligible. The effective magnetic anisotropy is the largest in the capping metal series (Pd, Pt, W, Cu, Ag, Au), which is attributed to the interparticle interaction between de nanoparticles, in addition to the intraparticle anisotropy arising from hybridization between the 3d-4d bands associated to the Co and Pd chemical arrangement in a L10 structure type., The financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economía MAT2014-53921-R and Aragonese DGA-IMANA E34 projects is acknowledged.

We report on the integration of atomically thin 2D insulating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) tunnel barriers into Co/h-BN/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The h-BN monolayer is directly grown by chemical vapor deposition on Fe. The Conductive Tip Atomic Force Microscopy (CT-AFM) measurements reveal the homogeneity of the tunnel behavior of our h-BN layers. As expected for tunneling, the resistance depends exponentially on the number of h-BN layers. The h-BN monolayer properties are also characterized through integration into complete MTJ devices. A Tunnel Magnetoresistance of up to 6% is observed for a MTJ based on a single atomically thin h-BN layer.

Chemically functionalized surfaces are studied for a wide range of applications going from medicine to electronics. Whereas non-magnetic surfaces have been widely studied, functionalization of magnetic surfaces is much less common and has almost never been used for spintronics applications. In this article we present the functionalization of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3, a ferromagnetic oxide, with self-assembled monolayers for spintronics. La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 is the prototypical half-metallic manganite used in spintronics studies. First, we show that La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 can be functionalized by alkylphosphonic acid molecules. We then emphasize the use of these functionalized surfaces in spintronics devices such as magnetic tunnel junctions fabricated using a nano-indentation based lithography technique. The observed exponential increase of tunnel resistance as a function of alkyl chain length is a direct proof of the successful connection of molecules to ferromagnetic electrodes. For all alkyl chains studied we obtain stable and robust tunnel magnetoresistance, with effects ranging from a few tens to 10 000%. These results show that functionalized electrodes can be integrated in spintronics devices and open the door to a molecular engineering of spintronics.

(La,Sr)MnO(3) manganite (LSMO) has emerged as the standard ferromagnetic electrode in organic spintronic devices due to its highly spin-polarized character and air stability. Whereas organic semiconductors and polymers have been mainly envisaged to propagate spin information, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have been overlooked and should be considered as promising materials for molecular engineering of spintronic devices. Surprisingly, up to now the first key step of SAM grafting protocols over LSMO surface thin films is still missing. We report the grafting of dodecyl (C12P) and octadecyl (C18P) phosphonic acids over the LSMO half-metallic oxide. Alkylphosphonic acids form ordered self-assembled monolayers, with the phosphonic group coordinated to the surface and alkyl chains tilted from the surface vertical by 43° (C12P) and 27° (C18P). We have electrically characterized these SAMs in nanodevices and found that they act as tunnel barriers, opening the door toward the integration of alkylphosphonic acid//LSMO SAMs into future molecular/organic spintronic devices such as spin OLEDs.

Molecular magnetic tunnel junctions using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) as tunnel barriers show stable and efficient spin transport properties. Large tunnel magnetoresistance with a flat bias voltage dependence of the magnetoresistance is observed in La(2/3) Sr(1/3) MnO(3) /dodecylphosphonic acid SAM/Co nanocontacts. This opens the door to spintronic tailoring though SAM engineering and could also lead to new venues for spin injection in organic devices.

In standard diffraction experiments, ensembles of objects are characterized yielding averaged, statistical properties (meaningful only if the ensemble is monodisperse). Focused x-ray beams are used here to localize single nanostructures, identifying and probing individual objects one by one. In a scanning mode, a 2-dimensional image of the sample is recorded, which allows the reproducible alignment of a specific nanostructure for analysis. The x-ray scattered signal is analyzed and modelled, to give access to the shape, strain and composition inside the single object with sub-micron resolution. Combination of x-ray microdiffraction technique with other micro-probe experiments on the very same individual object (simultaneous coupling of x-ray diffraction measurements with atomic force microscopy (AFM)) is also shown; we prove the possibility to interact with the objects and to address elastic properties for individual nano-structures out of an ensemble.

International audience

Anisotropies in the response of ferromagnetic electrodes attached to a gold nanoparticle lead to Coulomb blockade and spin-valve-like magnetoresistance phenomena. Such behaviour could allow the development of magnetically gated single-electron transistors composed of just two terminals.

Epitaxial metal/oxide based magnetic tunnel-junctions (MTJ) are valuable model systems to investigate the influence of the crystallinity of individual layers on the magnetic properties. We have non-destructively studied the effect of the optical lithography procedure on the crystalline structure of MTJ’s with lateral spatial resolution by performing local x-ray diffraction experiments using a microfocused x-ray spot. We demonstrate that the lithography process produces distortion effects on the crystalline structure of the layers near the edges of the lithographed junction. These distortions are present on all the constituent layers and are most probably driven by the elastic constants of the materials. They translate into tilts of the crystalline planes in the vicinity of the edges and propagate towards the center of the junction; the tilt’s amplitude (up to several degrees) and sign (concave or convex) depend on the junction’s shape, size and the type of materials (interfaces) used. We report results for junctions made with two types of metal-oxide interfaces (Co/CoFe2O4 and Co/Fe3O4), with sizes from 10 to 150 μm and various shapes (square-, rectangle- and disk-like).

The effect of capping with Cu, Au and Pt of an array of Co nanoparticles is revised. The magnetic surface anisotropy KS was found to be the dominant contribution to the effective anisotropy Keff of the particles. Recent X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) measurements show that there is hybridization between the 3d Co electrons and the d and 4p electrons of the capping metal. By comparison to the mechanisms which give rise to the surface anisotropy in thin films, it is argued that this hybridization governs the modification of KS, and hence, of Keff.

The exchange-bias, H EB and coercivity, H C of IrMn / Cu ( t Cu ) / Co films have been investigated as a function of the Cu spacer thickness, t Cu before and after magnetic annealing. A large increase of H EB and a significant decrease of H C with the treatment were observed for the samples with t Cu ⩽ 1.0 nm . H C ( t Cu ) and H EB ( t Cu ) showed a general trend of rapid decrease for all samples. The phenomenological models used to derive the anisotropy and exchange coupling parameters from the magnetization data indicated that the antiferromagnetic part of the interface is fully spin-compensated for the as-made films and nearly uncompensated for the treated ones. The annealing, despite the H EB and H C changes, did not alter the Co anisotropy but only improved the interfacial IrMn spins alignment.

The generation of oscillations in the microwave frequency range is one of the most important applications expected from spintronics devices exploiting the spin-transfer phenomenon, which is the reorientation of the magnetization of a ferromagnetic domain by spin-polarized current. Here we report transport and microwave power measurements on specially designed nanopillars, for which a non-standard angular dependence of the spin-transfer torque is predicted by theoretical models. We observe a new kind of current-induced dynamics that is characterized by large angle precessions in the absence of any applied field. This is also predicted by simulations including a ‘wavy’ angular dependence of the torque. This type of nanopillar, which is able to generate microwave oscillations in zero applied magnetic field, could represent an interesting method for the implementation of spin-transfer oscillators. We also emphasize the theoretical implications of our results on the angular dependence of the torque.

Organic or molecular spintronics is a rising field of research at the frontier between condensed matter physics and chemistry. It aims to mix spin physics and the richness of chemistry towards designing new properties for spin electronics devices through engineering at the molecular scale. Beyond the expectation of a long spin lifetime, molecules can be also used to tailor the spin polarization of the injected current through the spin-dependent hybridization between molecules and ferromagnetic electrodes. In this Letter, we provide direct evidence of a hybrid interface spin polarization reversal due to the differing hybridization between phthalocyanine molecules and each cobalt electrode in Co/CoPc/Co magnetic tunnel junctions. Tunnel magnetoresistance and anisotropic tunnel magnetoresistance experiments show that interfacial hybridized electronic states have a unidirectional anisotropy that can be controlled by an electric field and that spin hybridization at the bottom and top interfaces differ, leading to an inverse tunnel magnetoresistance.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are highly promising materials for molecular engineering of electronic and spintronics devices thanks to their surface functionalization properties. In this direction, alkylphosphonic acids have been used to functionalize the most common ferromagnetic electrode in organic spintronics: La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO). However, a study on the influence of SAMs grafting on LSMO electronic and magnetic properties is still missing. In this letter, we probe the influence of alkylphosphonic acids-based SAMs on the electronic and magnetic properties of the LSMO surface using different spectroscopies. We observe by X-ray photoemission and X-ray absorption that the grafting of the molecules on the LSMO surface induces a reduction of the Mn oxidation state. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements also show that the LSMO work function can be modified by surface dipoles opening the door to both tune the charge and spin injection efficiencies in organic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes. The research leading to these results was financially supported by the EU project NMP3-SL-2011-263104 HINTS and ANR agency (MELAMIN 2011-NANO-021). S.T. acknowledges the European Union FP7 CIG Marie Curie Actions under project SAMSFERE (FP7/2012–321739) and the Spanish MICINN for his JdC contract. P.S. wishes to thank the Institut Universitaire de France for a junior Fellowship. The research leading to these results was partly funded by the SFB/TRR 88 ‘3MET’ from the DFG. Experiments were performed on the “DEIMOS” beamline at SOLEIL Synchrotron, France (project No. 20100960).

The magnetic anisotropy of Co clusters with diameters ranging from 1.1 nm to 4.5 nm turns out to be significantly larger than in bulk and strongly increasing with decreasing cluster size. The dominating role of the surface can be used to modify the anisotropy by changing the electronic properties of the matrix surrounding the clusters. We find that capping the clusters by a metallic (Cu and Au) layer significantly enhances the anisotropy, thus also stabilizing the magnetization against thermal fluctuations. The observed anisotropy enhancement is attributed to the bonding of the Co 3d electrons to the conduction band of the capping layer, which depends on the electronic band structures of both metals.

We report ac magnetic susceptibility data measured on two samples of Co nano-particles, with average diameters and 3.1?nm, respectively. The temperatures Tmax of the maxima of the real and imaginary components of the susceptibility shift in opposite directions when an increasing bias magnetic field H is applied. We show that the increase of Tmax of with H is caused by the non-linear field dependence of the equilibrium magnetization and that only provides reliable information about the magnetic relaxation mechanisms in a bias field. Our data show that the magnetization reversal takes place via a classical thermally activated relaxation process. The influence that inter-cluster dipolar interactions have on the relaxation time depends on H. At zero field, the magnetic relaxation is slower than in the limit of no interactions. By contrast, as the magnetic moments of the particles become gradually polarized by H, the relaxation approaches the theoretical predictions for non-interacting particles.

We have performed magnetic domain imaging with spatial, temporal, and layer resolution using x-ray photoelectron emission microscopy. The element selectivity of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism allows the magnetization dynamics of the different magnetic layers in spin-valve-like FeNi/Cu/Co trilayers to be studied separately, using the time structure of synchrotron radiation. The unique possibilities of this technique have been used to study the influence of the intrinsic magnetic properties of the different layers on the magnetization dynamics and the interlayer magnetic coupling.

International audience; We have investigated the magnetic behavior and the structural properties of ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic systems (NiFe-IrMn and Co-IrMn) deposited directly on a thin tantalum buffer layer (bottom configuration) or above a thin Al 2 O 3 tunnel barrier layer (top configuration). In the bottom configuration, the bilayer system exhibits higher magnetic performances than in the top configuration in terms of thermal stability. We have performed a detailed structural study by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy which allow us to establish a clear correlation between the situation of the bilayer with respect to the tunnel barrier, its texture and its magnetic properties. r

We have measured field-dependent resonant diffuse scattering from a magnetoresistive Co/Cu multilayer. We have observed that the magnetic domain size in zero field depends on the magnetic history of the sample. The results of the X-ray scattering analysis have been compared to PEEM images of the magnetic domains.

Summary form only given. Magnetic field-dependent electrical characteristics of magnetic tunnel junction-based 3-terminal devices have been measured on M/sub 1//I/sub 1//M/sub 2//I/sub 2//M/sub 3/ stacks where M are ferromagnetic electrodes and I are insulating barriers (Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ or TaO). A spin polarised current is pumped from the voltage biased M/sub 1//I/sub 1//M/sub 2/ junction and injected in the I/sub 2//M/sub 3/ collector junction. The collected current in M/sub 3/ is then dependent on the voltages applied to each tunnel junction, the orientation of the electrode magnetisations and the thickness of the M/sub 2/ electrode. Besides the fundamental interest in measuring the properties of nonequilibrium spin-dependent hot electron transport, 3-terminal devices appear to be good candidates for a new generation of magnetic field-dependent devices. The control of hot electron transmission in a double tunnel junction is the keystone to ensure asymmetric diodes or hot electron magnetic field-dependent transistors. Experimental results have been compared to computations made in the framework of the parabolic band model.

We have investigated the magnetic structure of a Sr2FeMoO6 single crystal by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism at the L2,3 edges of Fe and Mo sites. The spin magnetic moments we find on Fe (3.05μB) and Mo ( − 0.32μB) give, for the first time, a direct confirmation of their ferrimagnetic ordering. The presence of a finite spin moment on Mo together with only very small orbital moments on both Fe and Mo confirms that the predicted half-metallicity of the Sr2FeMoO6 compound is due to a configuration with five localized d electrons forming a high-spin moment on Fe and one s antiparallel delocalized electron shared between the Mo and the other sites.

We study the growth by sputtering of Au clusters on amorphous Al2O3 using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The weak decrease of the cluster density with temperature is a clear sign that the defects of the substrate strongly influence the growth. We observe two phenomena which cannot be explained in a classical model of nucleation on defects: (i) there is some missing material in TEM micrographs that can re-appear after annealing at room temperature, and (ii) there is a delay in the nucleation of clusters. Moreover, in the case of clusters visible by TEM, we show by comparing the observed growth with kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations that clusters detach from defects above a critical size. We propose that a similar behavior explains the blockade and re-appearance of the invisible material, and the delay in nucleation: a large density of clusters nucleate on traps that release them at a size below TEM resolution (≃1 nm in these experiments).

International audience; An original concept of high sensitivity magnetic field sensor using the spin-dependent tunneling effect has been investigated. The required crossed-biased configuration is obtained by combining both shape energy originating from vicinal step bunched Si substrates and unidirectional exchange anisotropy supplied by an Ir 20 Mn 80 film in the ''top-biased'' geometry. We demonstrate a linear and reversible signal at room temperature and above. The smooth loss of sensitivity at higher temperature is shown to be correlated to the thermal dependence of the exchange bias property when IrMn is deposited above the insulating Al 2 O 3 barrier.

Magnetic Proximity Effect (MPE) at the interface of Y3Fe5O[Formula: see text] (YIG)[Formula: see text]Pd is investigated using X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) at the Pd-edges. No evidence of MPE is found even for Pd film thicknesses down to 0.5[Formula: see text]nm. The same bilayers have been thereafter used for inverse spin Hall Effect (ISHE) measurements using the spin-pumping technique. A large signal can be observed at the ferromagnetic resonance. The angular dependence of the Pd dc resistance has been measured as a function of the YIG magnetization direction. It shows the expected dependences for the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR). Our methodology allows to state that ISHE and SMR are intrinsic phenomena whose underlying physics is uncorrelated to MPE.

We report on the successful integration of low-cost, conformal, and versatile atomic layer deposited (ALD) dielectric in Ni–Al2O3–Co magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) where the Ni is coated with a spin-filtering graphene membrane. The ALD tunnel barriers, as thin as 0.6 nm, are grown layer-by-layer in a simple, low-vacuum, ozone-based process, which yields high-quality electron-transport barriers as revealed by tunneling characterization. Even under these relaxed conditions, including air exposure of the interfaces, a significant tunnel magnetoresistance is measured highlighting the robustness of the process. The spin-filtering effect of graphene is enhanced, leading to an almost fully inversed spin polarization for the Ni electrode of −42%. This unlocks the potential of ALD for spintronics with conformal, layer-by-layer control of tunnel barriers in magnetic tunnel junctions toward low-cost fabrication and down-scaling of tunnel resistances.

Under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 (CC-BY)., We present a study of granular Co-Pt multilayers by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), SQUID-based magnetic measurements, anomalous Hall effect (AHE), and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). We describe these granular films as composed of particles with a pure cobalt core surrounded by an alloyed Co-Pt interface, embedded in a Pt matrix. The alloy between the Co and Pt in these granular films, prepared by room temperature sputter deposition, results from interdiffusion of the atoms. The presence of this alloy gives rise to a high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in the granular films, as consequence of the anisotropy of the orbital moment in the Co atoms in the alloy, and comparable to that of highly-ordered CoPt L10 alloy films. Their magnetic properties are those of ferromagnetically coupled particles, whose coupling is strongly temperature dependent: at low temperatures, the granular sample is ferromagnetic with a high coercive field; at intermediate temperatures the granular film behaves as an amorphous asperomagnet, with a coupling between the grains mediated by the polarized Pt, and at high temperatures, the sample has a superparamagnetic behavior. The coupling/decoupling between the grains in our Co-Pt granular films can be tailored by variation of the amount of Pt in the samples., The financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)MAT2011-23791 and Aragonese DGA-IMANA E34 (cofunded by Fondo Social Europeo) projects is acknowledged. Authors also acknowledge the Servicio General de Apoyo a la Investigacón-SAI, Universidad de Zaragoza. A. I. F. acknowledges a Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) JAE2008-Predoc grant.

International audience; Perovskite materials engineered in epitaxial heterostructures have been intensely investigated during the last decade. The interface formed by an LaAlO 3 thin film grown on top of a TiO 2-terminated SrTiO 3 substrate hosts a two-dimensional electronic system and has become the prototypical example of this field. Although controversy exists regarding some of its physical properties and their precise origin, it is universally found that conductivity only appears beyond an LaAlO 3 thickness threshold of four unit cells. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that this critical thickness can be reduced to just one unit cell when a metallic film of cobalt is deposited on top of LaAlO 3. First-principles calculations indicate that Co modifies the electrostatic boundary conditions and induces a charge transfer towards the Ti 3d bands, supporting the electrostatic origin of the electronic system at the LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 interface. Our results expand the interest of this low-dimensional oxide system from in-plane to perpendicular transport and to the exploration of elastic and inelastic tunnel-type transport of (spin-polarized) carriers.

Granular Co/AlN multilayers, with Co thicknesses varying from 0.2 to 3 nm, were prepared by sputtering. The goal was to prepare Co clusters embedded in a ceramic matrix and to study their magnetic properties. The local surrounding of the Co atoms was characterized via x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The magnetic properties were found to depend markedly on the Co thickness. The findings can be explained in terms of strong chemical interaction between Co and AlN.

We study the 3D growth of clusters during the deposition of Au atoms on amorphous ${\mathrm{Al}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$. By comparing transmission electron microscopy images of the growth with Monte Carlo simulations, we show that nucleation takes place on substrate defects, but that further stages of growth imply that clusters leave the defects after they have reached a given critical size, and diffuse. An interesting consequence of this property is that, in contrast to intuition, and in a certain range of size, larger clusters are more mobile than smaller ones in this system.

We have measured the resonant scattering from an antiferromagnetic Co/Cr multilayer at photon energies close to the cobalt 2p→3d transitions. The cobalt dielectric tensor has an anisotropic component, enhanced by resonance, which depends on the magnetic order and follows its modulation inside the sample. We have studied the vertical distribution of this component through the dependence of the reflectivity on the scattering angle. Using s-polarized light, we have observed the signature of the cobalt–cobalt antiferromagnetic coupling as an half-integer-order Bragg peak. Experimental results have been analyzed by numerical simulation.

Iron–carbon nanocomposite thin films with iron concentrations ranging from 12 to 74 at. % were grown by ion-beam sputtering codeposition at different substrate temperatures. The microstructure of the films was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, extended x-ray absorption fine structure, and grazing incidence small-angle x-ray scattering. A granular morphology consisting of body-centered-cubic iron-rich nanoparticles (2–5 nm in diameter and 3–8 nm in height with a relatively sharp size distribution) regularly distributed within a more or less graphitic matrix was obtained. Structural properties as well as magnetic ones were found to depend strongly on composition, substrate temperature, and postdeposition treatments (annealing or Ar+ irradiation). The temperature dependence of the susceptibility exhibited a superparamagnetic response with blocking temperature in the range of 13–180 K. The maximum low-temperature (5 K) coercivity value obtained in this study was 850 O...

We have investigated by X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) the Fe spin and orbital magnetic moments in Fe/Pd(001) multilayers with nominal Fe thicknesses up to 3 Atomic Layers (AL). We find a strong enhancement of both spin and orbital moments (mspin ≈ 2.8 μB and morb ≈ 0.3 μB) compared to bulk Fe in excellent agreement with theoretical calculations. For 1 AL of Fe, the magnetic dipole term was deduced using the Stohr and Konig method and found to be non-negligible (20% of mspin). We further show that, for 3 AL of Fe, the high spin phase is correlated to a fcc-like crystalline structure with a large atomic volume of Fe ( ≈ 12.4 A3).

We report on aggregation of Co on a smooth amorphous alumina surface, during sputter deposition of Co atoms at room temperature. The atomic structure of the Co grains appears to be size dependent: hep in the larger bean-shaped clusters (greater than 3 nm), and often fee in the smaller, almost spherical clusters. The deposits show relatively narrow distributions of the cluster sizes and of the intercluster distances, which results in a noticeable local order and explains how charge blocking (the so-called Coulomb blockade) could be observed in large sets of such particles by Schelp et al. (1997, Phys. Rev. B, 56, R5747). Electrical percolation occurs at a nominal thickness of about 2 nm.

We report on the structure of cobalt cluster films obtained by aggregation of metal atoms sputter-deposited on amorphous alumina. The cluster layers were encapsulated with a second amorphous alumina layer, also made by sputtering in the same chamber. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) indicates that encapsulation with sputtered alumina keeps the clusters free from cobalt oxide. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) exhibits relatively narrow distributions of the cluster sizes and of the inter-cluster distances, which results in a noticeable local order. Size distributions appear quasi-Gaussian, but TEM misses an important number of small particles. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data shows that the actual average sizes are smaller, and Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the actual distributions could be bimodal, with a secondary peak in the small-size range.

We present the impedance and its variation in magnetic fields for discontinuous Co films sandwiched by Al2O3. The Co nominal thickness varies from 0.7 to 2.5 nm and the room temperature impedance has been measured from fractions of Hz to 100 kHz. The samples present a distribution of relaxation times with a maximum width below the percolation point. For a given frequency, an external magnetic field induces a variation in the modulus and in the phase of the impedance. The evolution of the tunnel magnetoimpedance, whose real part is the usual tunnel magnetoresistance, as a function of frequency is presented and can be described in terms of the variations in the relaxation time.