Magnetic, structural, and electronic properties of NiFe2O4 ultrathin films
Softcover
Buy Now
By using these links, you support READO. We receive an affiliate commission without any additional costs to you.
Description
¿e physical properties of transition-metal oxides are strongly determined by the competition
of charge, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom. Continuing progress in the deposition techniques
of oxides nowadays allows to grow thin lm heterostructures with atomically sharp interfaces.
Tailoring the interface between oxides opens up the possibility to explore novel nanoelectronic
functionalities and even to discover new phenomena only existing at the interface.
In this framework, oxides featuring simultaneously magnetic and insulating properties oer
a promising approach for the optimized performance of spintronic devices. ¿ey can realize a
highly eective spin-lter eect, where spin-polarized electron currents are generated by a spindependent
tunneling process. For this purpose, the spinel ferrite NiFe2O4 is a very auspicious
material since it possesses both features even at room temperature.
In this thesis, the sensitive interplay between magnetic, electronic and structural properties
in the ferrimagnetic oxide NiFe2O4 is investigated in detail. ¿erefore, NiFe2O4 thin lms are
deposited on Nb-doped SrTiO3 (001) substrates via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and the growth
conditions of the deposition process are carefully evaluated. Based upon this, a procedure is
deduced, that allows the reproducible growth of high-quality, epitaxial, and single-crystalline
NiFe2O4 thin lms.
With the aim towards fabricating tunnel barriers, special emphasis is placed on the impact
of reduced dimensionality in the crossover from bulk-like to ultrathin NiFe2O4 lms. Here, an
enhanced saturationmagnetization MS for ultrathin NiFe2O4 lms (d < 4nm) that coincides with
a reduced out-of-plane lattice constant under compressive in-plane epitaxial strain is observed.
¿e lms are investigated by complementing bulk- and surface-sensitive analyses using HAXPES,
XANES and XMCD spectroscopy techniques. Hereby, a bulk-like cationic coordination of the
inverse spinel lattice independent of the NiFe2O4 lm thickness is found – thus ruling out a
cationic inversion that nominally could account for an enhanced MS.
¿e spin and orbital contribution to the net magnetization are investigated element-specic by
recording high-quality low noise XMCD spectra and evaluating them using the sum rules.¿e
resulting moments agree with the magnetic structure of an inverse spinel. However, they give no
explanation for the observed enhanced MS. Instead, a novel magnetism at the interface between
the NiFe2O4 lms and SrTiO3 substrates is discovered, which originates from a ferromagnetic
ordering of the Ti electrons.¿e underlyingmechanism is explained by superexchange interaction
across the interface which imposes the ferromagnetic order of the electron in NiFe2O4 onto the
Ti electrons.
¿e given results open the path for a future integration of NiFe2O4 into spin lter tunnel
junctions. Additionally, the observed interfacial Ti ferromagnetism renders NiFe2O4/SrTiO3
heterostructures as a intriguing system for exploring the interplay between the various degrees of
freedom in transition metal oxides.
Main Genre
Specialized Books
Sub Genre
Mathematics & Natural Sciences
Format
Softcover
Pages
118
Price
N/A
Publisher
Forschungszentrum Jülich
Publication Date
11.04.2016
ISBN
9783958061224
Description
¿e physical properties of transition-metal oxides are strongly determined by the competition
of charge, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom. Continuing progress in the deposition techniques
of oxides nowadays allows to grow thin lm heterostructures with atomically sharp interfaces.
Tailoring the interface between oxides opens up the possibility to explore novel nanoelectronic
functionalities and even to discover new phenomena only existing at the interface.
In this framework, oxides featuring simultaneously magnetic and insulating properties oer
a promising approach for the optimized performance of spintronic devices. ¿ey can realize a
highly eective spin-lter eect, where spin-polarized electron currents are generated by a spindependent
tunneling process. For this purpose, the spinel ferrite NiFe2O4 is a very auspicious
material since it possesses both features even at room temperature.
In this thesis, the sensitive interplay between magnetic, electronic and structural properties
in the ferrimagnetic oxide NiFe2O4 is investigated in detail. ¿erefore, NiFe2O4 thin lms are
deposited on Nb-doped SrTiO3 (001) substrates via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and the growth
conditions of the deposition process are carefully evaluated. Based upon this, a procedure is
deduced, that allows the reproducible growth of high-quality, epitaxial, and single-crystalline
NiFe2O4 thin lms.
With the aim towards fabricating tunnel barriers, special emphasis is placed on the impact
of reduced dimensionality in the crossover from bulk-like to ultrathin NiFe2O4 lms. Here, an
enhanced saturationmagnetization MS for ultrathin NiFe2O4 lms (d < 4nm) that coincides with
a reduced out-of-plane lattice constant under compressive in-plane epitaxial strain is observed.
¿e lms are investigated by complementing bulk- and surface-sensitive analyses using HAXPES,
XANES and XMCD spectroscopy techniques. Hereby, a bulk-like cationic coordination of the
inverse spinel lattice independent of the NiFe2O4 lm thickness is found – thus ruling out a
cationic inversion that nominally could account for an enhanced MS.
¿e spin and orbital contribution to the net magnetization are investigated element-specic by
recording high-quality low noise XMCD spectra and evaluating them using the sum rules.¿e
resulting moments agree with the magnetic structure of an inverse spinel. However, they give no
explanation for the observed enhanced MS. Instead, a novel magnetism at the interface between
the NiFe2O4 lms and SrTiO3 substrates is discovered, which originates from a ferromagnetic
ordering of the Ti electrons.¿e underlyingmechanism is explained by superexchange interaction
across the interface which imposes the ferromagnetic order of the electron in NiFe2O4 onto the
Ti electrons.
¿e given results open the path for a future integration of NiFe2O4 into spin lter tunnel
junctions. Additionally, the observed interfacial Ti ferromagnetism renders NiFe2O4/SrTiO3
heterostructures as a intriguing system for exploring the interplay between the various degrees of
freedom in transition metal oxides.
Main Genre
Specialized Books
Sub Genre
Mathematics & Natural Sciences
Format
Softcover
Pages
118
Price
N/A
Publisher
Forschungszentrum Jülich
Publication Date
11.04.2016
ISBN
9783958061224