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The layered structure of MAX phases is associated with a number of functional properties and is the subject of extensive research. While the unit-cell layers of these structures have been well studied, much less is known about the distribution and manipulation of point defects within them. Here, we selected the prototype Cr2AlC system and, using variable energy positron beams, observed Doppler broadening and positron annihilation lifetimes to track the evolution of defects caused by the penetration of energetic transition metal ions (Co+ and Mn+) and noble gas ions (Ar+ and Ne+). In all cases an overall reduction of the open-volume defect concentration is observed post-irradiation. Atomic displacements induced by the penetrating ions drastically modify the defect distribution: the concentration of agglomerates of 9–15 vacancies (corresponding to positron lifetimes of 335–450 ps) in the precursor [Cr2C/Al]n layers is suppressed, whereas Al mono- and Al-Cr di-vacancy (lifetimes 217–231 ps) concentrations are enhanced. This breakdown of large defects into point defects scales with atomic displacements and is largely independent of the penetrating ion species, providing insights into the manipulation of point defects in nano-layered systems.

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The nonlinear Hall effect (NLHE) with time-reversal symmetry constitutes the appearance of a transverse voltage quadratic in the applied electric field. It is a secondorder electronic transport phenomenon that induces frequency doubling and occurs in non-centrosymmetric crystals with large Berry curvature – an emergent magnetic field encoding the geometric properties of electronic wavefunctions. The design of (opto)electronic devices based on the NLHE is however hindered by the fact that this nonlinear effect typically appears at low temperatures and in complex compounds characterized by Dirac or Weyl electrons Here, we show a strong room temperature NLHE in the centrosymmetric elemental material bismuth synthesized in the form of technologically relevant polycrystalline thin films. The (111) surface electrons of this material are equipped with a Berry curvature triple that activates side jumps and skew scatterings generating nonlinear transverse currents. We also report a boost of the zero field nonlinear transverse voltage in arc-shaped bismuth stripes due to a extrinsic geometric classical counterpart of the NLHE This electrical frequency doubling in curved geometries is then extended to optical second harmonic generation in the terahertz (THz) spectral range. The strong nonlinear electrodynamical responses of the surface states are further demonstrated by a concomitant highly efficient THz third harmonic generation which we achieve in a broad range of frequencies in Bi and Bi-based heterostructures. Combined with the possibility of growth on CMOS-compatible and mechanically flexible substrates, these results highlight the potential of Bi thin films for THz (opto)electronic applications.

Diamond shows great promise for opening up new paradigms in the semiconductor industry and quantum electronics. Here, we investigate the influence of thermal annealing on the structural and electrical transport properties of heavily boron-doped polycrystalline diamond (BPD) thin films. Our structural analyses show that annealing beyond 600 °C can induce severe local amorphization in a BPD thin film and transform it into a binary mixture of spatially separate domains of amorphous carbon (a-C) and diamond grains. Due to this annealing-induced morphology and phase segregation, the BPD thin films demonstrate a significant decrease of the electron localization radius and a distinct increase of the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length. Our research provides physical insight into the conversion of diamond to a-C and aids in defining the application scope of BPD by revealing its heat tolerance.

Bei diesem Datensatz handelt es sich um die im Paper beschriebenen µRaman, RBS und TEM Daten sowie die SRIM Simulationen

Thin films of magnetoelectric antiferromagnetic insulators (Cr2O3, BiFeO3 etc.) have emerged as a prospective material platform for magnonics, spin superfluidity, THz spintronics, and energy efficient spin-orbitronics. Understanding the magnetomechanical coupling in antiferromagnets offers vast advantages in the control of the primary order parameters. A standard micromagnetic approach for the description of a material relies on the effective parameters being homogeneously distributed throughout the system. Such an approach is commonly sufficient, but does not provide full characterization of the system. The family of magnetomechanical effects includes piezo- and flexomagnetic responses, which determine the modification of the magnetic order parameters due to homogeneous or inhomogeneous strain, respectively. Accounting for the flexomagnetic effects promises technological advantages for multiferroic and antiferromagnetic materials, where cross-coupling between elastic, magnetic and electric subsystems open additional degrees of freedom in the control of the respective order parameters [1, 2]. In this work, we discover the effect of strain gradient onto the magnetic behaviour of epitaxial Cr2O3 thin films [3, 4]. We demonstrate that by tuning the parameters of Cr2O3 epitaxial growth a fine control of the crystallographic and defect structure can be realized. A persistent strain gradient was obtained in Cr2O3 affecting its magnetic order parameters rendering a distribution of the Néel temperature along the thickness of the thin film. The antiferromagnetic ordering in the strained films can persist up to 100°C, rendering Cr2O3 as a prospective material for industrial electronics applications. The inhomogeneous enhancement of the antiferromagnetic order parameter induced by the strain gradient renders a flexomagnetic response of about 15 µB nm-2. Strain gradient in Cr2O3 thin films enables fundamental research on magnetomechanics and thermodynamics of antiferromagnetic

Thin films of antiferromagnetic insulators (Cr2O3, Fe2O3, NiO etc.) are a prospective material platform for magnonics, spin superfluidity, THz spintronics, and non-volatile data storage. A standard micromagnetic approach for the description of thin film system commonly relies on the effective parameters, assumed to be homogeneously distributed within a material. The family of magnetomechanical effects includes piezo- and flexomagnetic responses, which determine the modification of the magnetic order parameters due to homogeneous or inhomogeneous strain, respectively. Accounting for the strain-gradient-driven magnetomechanical coupling promises technological advantages: the cross-coupling between elastic, magnetic and electric subsystems opens additional degrees of freedom in the control of the respective order parameters [1]-[3]. In this work, we discover the presence of flexomagnetic effects in epitaxial antiferromagnetic Cr2O3 thin films [4]. We demonstrate that a gradient of mechanical strain affect the order-disorder magnetic phase transition resulting in the distribution of the Néel temperature along the thickness of Cr2O3 thin film. The inhomogeneous reduction of the antiferromagnetic order parameter induces a flexomagnetic coefficient of about 15 µB nm-2. The antiferromagnetic ordering in the strained films can persist up to 100 °C, rendering Cr2O3 as a prospective material for industrial spintronic applications. Strain gradient in Cr2O3 thin films enables fundamental research on magnetomechanics and thermodynamics of antiferromagnetic solitons, spin waves and artificial spin ice systems in magnetic materials with continuously graded parameters.

Thin films of antiferromagnetic insulators are a prospective material platform for magnonics, spin superfluidity, THz spintronics, and nonvolatile data storage. Here, we explore the presence of flexomagnetic effects in epitaxial Cr2O3 [1]. We demonstrate that a gradient of mechanical strain effect the order-disorder magnetic phase transition, resulting in the distribution of the Néel temperature along the thickness of a Cr2O3 film. The inhomogeneous reduction of the antiferromagnetic order parameter induces a flexomagnetic coefficient of about 15µB nm−2. The antiferromagnetic ordering in the strained films can persist up to 100∘C, rendering Cr2O3 as a prospective material for industrial electronics applications.

Si1-x-yGexSny alloys are promising materials for future applications in opto- and nanoelectronics. These alloys enable effective band gap engineering, a broad adjustability of the lattice parameter, exhibit much higher carrier mobility than pure Si and are compatible with CMOS technology. Unfortunately, the equilibrium solid solubility of Sn in Si1-xGex is less than 1% and pseudomorphic growth of Si1-xyGexSny on Ge or Si causes in-plane compressive strain in the grown layer, which degrades the superior properties of the alloys. Therefore, the post-growth strain engineering using ultrafast non-equilibrium thermal treatments like flash lamp annealing (FLA) or pulsed laser annealing (PLA) to improve the layer quality is needed. In this contribution, we discuss the influence of millisecond FLA and nanosecond PLA on Si1-x-yGexSny alloys and present an efficient way to improve the layer quality of thin film Si1-x-yGexSny on insulator by PLA. Different Si1-xyGexSny alloys are directly grown on commercial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers and treated by FLA or PLA. The material is analysed by micro-Raman spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) before and after the thermal treatments. It is shown that after annealing, the material is single-crystalline with much better crystallinity than the as-grown layer.

Cobalt is a magnetic material that finds extensive use in various applications, ranging from magnetic storage to ultrafast spintronics. Usually, it exists in two phases with different crystal lattices, namely in hexagonal close-packed (hcp) or face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. The crystal structure of Co films significantly influences their magnetic and spintronic properties. We report on the thickness dependence of the structural and magnetic properties of sputter-deposited Co on a Pt seed layer. It grows in an hcp lattice at low thicknesses, while for thicker films, it becomes a mixed hcp-fcc phase due to a stacking fault progression along the growth direction. The X-ray based reciprocal space map technique has been employed to distinguish and confirm the presence of both phases. Moreover, the precise determination of Landé’s g-factor by ferromagnetic resonance provides valuable insights into the structural properties. In our detailed experiments, we observe that a structural variation results in a nonmonotonic variation of the magnetic anisotropy along the thickness. The work offers information of great significance and insight for both fundamental physics and potential applications of thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.

Antiferromagnetic ordering, being prevalent over ferromagnetic one in nature, is very sensitive to the lattice structure. For example, in the absence of magnetostatics, the stress fields can be responsible for the domain formation in easy-plane antiferromagnets, while the hydrostatic pressure provides a possibility to manipulate the phase transition temperature between magnetically ordered and disordered phases [1]. Phenomena related to the strain gradient being allowed in the majority of magnetic symmetry classes are much less explored [2].Here, we provide a theoretical and experimental evidence of flexomagnetism in the uniaxial room-temperature antiferromagnet Cr2O3 [3]. In the experiment, high-quality Cr2O3 thin films grown on sapphire substrate are considered. Their magnetic state is accessed by a combination of magnetotransport measurements and Nitrogen vacancy (NV) magnetometry, which allows one to address both the uncompensated magnetization at the film surface and the interior of the film. We found a gradual transition from antiferro- to paramagnetic state by thickness with heating, which is substantially enhanced in comparison with bulk Cr2O3. To explain this observation, we provide a systematic analysis of sources of magnetization and symmetry analysis regarding the presence of a sizeable strain gradient along the film thickness. The latter enables (i) the net uniform bulk magnetization along the film thickness, which cannot be directly detected by NV magnetometry, and (ii) distribution of the Neel temperature along the film thickness. The gradual change of the magnetic phase transition temperature along the sample breaks the compensation of antiferromagnetic sublattices. The respective magnetization is proportional to the Neel vector and changes its direction betwen antiferromagnetic domains contributing to the stray fields and being detectable by NV magnetometry. We provide a theoretical description of this strain-gradient-driven effects in thin Cr2O3 fi

Si1-x-yGexSny alloys are promising materials for future applications in opto- and nanoelectronics. These alloys enable effective band gap engineering, a broad adjustability of the lattice parameter, exhibit much higher carrier mobility than pure Si and are compatible with CMOS technology. Unfortunately, the equilibrium solid solubility of Sn in Si1-xGex is less than 1% and pseudomorphic growth of Si1-xyGexSny on Ge or Si causes in-plane compressive strain in the grown layer, which degrades the superior properties of the alloys. Therefore, the post-growth strain engineering using ultrafast non-equilibrium thermal treatments like flash lamp annealing (FLA) or pulsed laser annealing (PLA) to improve the layer quality is needed. In this contribution, we discuss the influence of millisecond FLA and nanosecond PLA on Si1-x-yGexSny alloys and present an efficient way to improve the layer quality of thin film Si1-x-yGexSny on insulator by PLA. Different Si1-xyGexSny alloys are directly grown on commercial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers and treated by FLA or PLA. The material is analysed by micro-Raman spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) before and after the thermal treatments. It is shown that after annealing, the material is single-crystalline with much better crystallinity than the as-grown layer.

Plasmonic structures made out of highly doped group-IV semiconductor materials are of large interest for the realization of fully integrated mid-infrared (MIR) devices. Utilizing highly doped Ge1−xSnx alloys grown on Si substrates is one promising route to enable device operation at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Due to the lower effective mass of electrons in Sn compared to Ge, the incorporation of Sn can potentially lower the plasma wavelength of Ge1−xSnx alloys compared to that of pure Ge. However, defects introduced by the large lattice mismatch to Si substrates as well as the introduction of alloy scattering limit device applications in practice. Here, we investigate pulsed laser melting as one strategy to increase material quality in highly doped Ge1−xSnx alloys. We show that a pulsed laser melting treatment of our Ge1−xSnx films not only serves to lower the material’s plasma frequency but also leads to an increase in active dopant concentration. We demonstrate the application of this material in plasmonic gratings with sharp optical extinction peaks at MIR wavelengths.

Layered magnetic materials are becoming a major platform for future spin-based applications. Particularly the air-stable van der Waals compound CrSBr is attracting considerable interest due to its prominent magneto-transport and magneto-optical properties. In this work, we observe a transition from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic behavior in CrSBr crystals exposed to high-energy, non-magnetic ions. Already at moderate fluences, ion irradiation induces a remanent magnetization with hysteresis adapting to the easy-axis anisotropy of the pristine magnetic order up to a critical temperature of 110 K. Structure analysis of the irradiated crystals in conjunction with density functional theory calculations suggest that the displacement of constituent atoms due to collisions with ions and the formation of interstitials favors ferromagnetic order between the layers.

During cooling, conventional martensitic transformation can only be realized from austenite to martensite. Recently, a so-called reentrant martensitic transformation obtained much interest due to an additional transformation from martensite to austenite during further cooling. Obviously, materials with this reentrant transformation will increase the number of physical effects and possible applications. However, until now, only bulk samples are reported available, which are not suitable for applications in micro-devices. In this work, ferromagnetic Co-Cr-Ga-Si films were selected as a model system to explore the reentrant transformation behavior in thin films. We observed that the films grow epitaxially on MgO (100) substrates and exhibit a martensitic transformation if deposited at a sufficiently high temperature or with an additional heat treatment. Film within the austenite state are ferromagnetic while films within the martensitic state just exhibit a very low ferromagnetism order.

Raw data of a paper done by Yuru Ge. The paper title is finally signed as: Growth and Martensitic Transformation of Ferromagnetic Co-Cr-Ga-Si Epitaxial Films. The authors are Yuru Ge, Klara Lünser, Fabian Ganss, Peter Gaal, Lukas Fink,and Sebastian Fähler. This is the final version which is accepted by the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials on 07.08.2023

Accurate control of doping and fabrication of metal contacts on n-type germanium nanowires (GeNWs) with low resistance and linear characteristics remain a major challenge in germanium-based nanoelectronics. Here, we present a combined approach to fabricate Ohmic contacts on n-type-doped GeNWs. Phosphorus (P) implantation followed by millisecond rear-side flash lamp annealing was used to produce highly n-type doped Ge with an electron concentration in the order of 10^19 − 10^20 cm^(−3). Electron beam lithography, inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching, and nickel (Ni) deposition were used to fabricate GeNW-based devices with symmetric Hall bar configuration, which allows detailed electrical characterization of the NWs. Afterward, rear-side flash lamp annealing was applied to form Ni germanide at the Ni-GeNWs contacts to reduce the Schottky barrier height. The two-probe current-voltage measurements on n-type-doped GeNWs exhibit linear Ohmic behavior. Also, the size-dependent electrical measurements showed that carrier scattering near the NW surfaces and reduction of the effective NW cross-section dominate the charge transport in the GeNWs.

We investigate the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) response of microfabricated microwave resonators loaded with small Co16Pd84 alloy rectangles. A major increase in the FMR signal-to-noise ratio is achieved by employing the microwave-resonator structure. A FMR peak shift similar to that of Co16Pd84 continuous films is measured in the presence of hydrogen gas in the sample environment. We show that the very high sensitivity of the FMR signal of the Co16Pd84 alloy rectangle to hydrogen exposure can be used to measure relatively small hydrogen-concentration steps near 100% H2. Additionally, we also demonstrate that this structure can measure hydrogen over a concentration range from 3% to 100% H2 in N2. In time-dependent FMR measurements, we discover a temperature dependence of the FMR signal, which we relate to intrinsic temperature-dependent changes in saturation magnetization and the magnetic anisotropy of the Co-Pd alloy.

Ever since its discovery ultrafast demagnetization has remained one of the most intriguing research areas in magnetism. Here, we demonstrate that in [Co (tCo )/ Pd (0.9 nm)] 8 multilayers, the characteristic decay time in femtosecond time- scale varies non-monotonically with tCo in the range 0.07 nm B tCo B 0.75 nm. Further investigation reveals higher spin fluctuation at higher ratio of electron to Curie temperature to be responsible for this. Microscopic three-temperature modelling unravels a similar trend in the spin–lattice interaction strength, which strongly supports our experimental observation. The knowledge of the fem- tosecond magnetization decay mechanism in ultrathin ferromagnetic films is unique and important for the advancement of fundamental magnetism besides their potential applications in ultrahigh speed spintronic devices.

Two magnetron sputter targets of CoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy (HEA), both in equal atomic ratio, were prepared by spark plasma sintering. One of the targets was fabricated from a homogeneous HEA powder produced via gas atomisation; for the second target, a mixture of pure element powders was used. Economic benefits can be achieved by mixing pure powders in the intended ratio in comparison to the gas atomisation of the specific alloy composition. In this work, thin films deposited via magnetron sputtering from both targets are analysed. The surface elemental composition is investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, whereas the bulk stoichiometry is measured by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Phase information and surface microstructure are investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. It is demonstrated that the stoichiometry, phase composition and microscopic structure of the as-deposited HEA thin films are almost identical if the same deposition parameters are used.

Invar-behavior occurring in many magnetic materials has long been of interest to materials science. Here, we show not only invar behavior of a continuous film of FePt but also even negative thermal expansion of FePt nanograins upon equilibrium heating. Yet, both samples exhibit pronounced transient expansion upon laser heating in femtosecond x-ray diffraction experiments. We show that the granular microstructure is essential to support the contractive out-of-plane stresses originating from in-plane expansion via the Poisson effect that add to the uniaxial contractive stress driven by spin disorder. We prove the spin contribution by saturating the magnetic excitations with a first laser pulse and then detecting the purely expansive response to a second pulse. The contractive spin stress is reestablished on the same 100-ps time scale that we observe for the recovery of the ferromagnetic order. Finite-element modeling of the mechanical response of FePt nanosystems confirms the morphology dependence of the dynamics.

The topological Hall effect (THE) has been discovered in ultrathin SrRuO3 (SRO) films, where the interface between the SRO layer and another oxide layer breaks the inversion symmetry resulting in the appearance of THE. Thus, THE only occurs in ultra-thin SRO films of several unit cells. In addition to employing a heterostructure, the inversion symmetry can be broken intrinsically in bulk by introducing defects. In this study THE is observed in 60 nm thick SRO films, in which defects and lattice distortions are introduced by helium ion irradiation. The irradiated SRO films exhibit a pronounced THE in a wide temperature range from 5 K to 80 K. These observations can be attributed to the emergence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction as a result of artificial inversion symmetry breaking associated with the lattice defect engineering. The creation and control of the THE in oxide single layers can be realized by ex situ film processing. Therefore, this work provides new insights into the THE and illustrates a promising strategy to design novel spintronic devices.

We employ ultrafast X-ray diffraction to compare the lattice dynamics of laser-excited continuous and granular FePt films on MgO (100) substrates. Contrary to recent results on free-standing granular films, we observe in both cases a pronounced and long-lasting out-of-plane expansion. We attribute this discrepancy to the in-plane expansion, which is suppressed by symmetry in continuous films. Granular films on substrates are less constrained and already show a reduced out-of-plane contraction. Via the Poisson effect, out-of-plane contractions drive in-plane expansion and vice versa. Consistently, the granular film exhibits a short-lived out-of-plane contraction driven by ultrafast demagnetization which is followed by a reduced and delayed expansion. From the acoustic reflections of the observed strain waves at the film-substrate interface, we extract a 13% reduction of the elastic constants in thin 10 nm FePt films compared to bulk-like samples.

By using ion beam irradiation of different energy and flux we modify and tune the magnetic reversal and microstructure in synthetic perpendicular anisotropy antiferromagnets consisting of [(Co/Pt)Co/Ru] multilayer systems. The magnetic energy balance between antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange and dipolar fields in the initial state of the samples has been tuned to have two local energy minima, one for laterally correlated and vertically anti-correlated magnetic structure (single domain antiferromagnet) and the other for laterally anti-correlated and vertically correlated magnetic structure (ferromagnetic stripe domains) [1]. Ion beam irradiation is then subsequently used to locally alter the magnetic microstructure from one state to the other to create laterally co-existing phases and study their reversal behavior in external magnetic fields using Magnetic Force Microscopy.