We explored THz emission from $\mathrm{Si}^{2} / \mathrm{SiO}_{2} / / \mathrm{Ta} / \mathrm{Fe} / \mathrm{Ru} /$ $\mathrm{Ni} / \mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}$ spintronic emitters. We tuned magnetization alignment of Fe and Ni layers by varying the interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) strength using a range of Ru layer thickness t. Depending on IEC strength, magnetization hysteresis shows either ferromagnetic $(t=1.1 \mathrm{~nm}, 1.5 \mathrm{~nm})$, antiferromagnetic $(t=1.3 \mathrm{~nm})$ or canted $(t=1.7 \mathrm{~nm}, 1.9 \mathrm{~nm})$ relative alignment. Competition between IEC and an external magnetic field results in a dramatic difference in THz emission from the ferromagnetically (FM) and anti-ferromagnetically (AFM) coupled structures. The resulting THz emission from IEC structures is a result of an interference of THz transiens generated by the individual $\mathrm{Fe} / \mathrm{Ru}$ and $\mathrm{Ru} / \mathrm{Ni}$ emitters.

We generated electro magnetic transients with a frequency content up to the terahertz regime from Co 2 Fe 0.4 Mn 0.6 Si Heusler alloy/heavy-metal bilayers by excitation with fs-laser pulses. We ascribe the generation process to the inverse spin Hall effect. We compared our results with ferromagnetic resonance measurements to investigate the efficiency of interfacial spin currents. We observed that the efficiency of the THz radiation can be described by the spin-orbit coupling, nonetheless the interface properties play an important role.

We explored THz emission from laser illuminated Fe/heavy-metal bilayer spintronic emitters grown epitaxially on top of GaAs(001) substrates. The fabricated emitters show an overall enhancement of the transient THz radiation compared to structures fabricated on insulating substrates. In addition, the THz amplitude shows strongly vertically off-set hysteretic behavior in varying magnetic field. We ascribe these observations to the interplay of several mechanisms including inverse spin Hall effect, optical rectification, Lorentz force and chemical bonding at the epitaxial Fe/GaAs(001) interface.

We explored the transient reflectivity of [Co/Pt] magnetic multilayer systems on the picosecond time scale. We observed that the transient Kerr ellipticity depends on the helicity of the pump pulse. In the first 100 ps after excitation, the superposition of discrete oscillation modes with frequencies up to 4 THz results in a beating response in the time domain.

The authors demonstrate current-induced magnetization switching in Au/Fe/MgO(001) Hall bars, identify stable intermediate resistance states based on the magnetic domain structure and find that the switching is Oersted field-driven.

All-optical switching (AOS) of magnetization in ferri- and ferromagnetic thin films has in recent years attracted a strong interest since it allows magnetization reversal in the absence of applied magnetic field. Here we investigate AOS in [Co/Pt](N) multilayers. The coercivity (H-c) of the multilayers was tuned either by varying the bilayer repetition number (N) or the sample temperature (T). During the AOS experiments, we first illuminated the multilayers by a sequence of femtosecond laser pulses with varying fluence, light polarization, and repetition rate. The optically affected area was then imaged with magneto-optical Kerr microscopy. Our results indicate that the optical pulses can trigger either AOS or initiate an all-optical domain formation (AODF). The laser fluence required for AOS scales linearly with H-c and depends on a precise tuning of laser pulse fluence, repetition rate, and light polarization. Furthermore, the magnetic response of the samples at a varying ambient temperature (down to 50 K) and for different time intervals between subsequent laser pulses point to the crucial role of domain wall dynamics in optical control of magnetization in ferromagnetic multilayers.

Molecular spintronics aims at exploiting and controlling spin-dependent transport processes at the molecular level. Achieving this aim requires not only appropriate molecules, molecular structures and preparation procedures. Equally important is the understanding and engineering of the electronic and spin-dependent interactions between different molecular species, molecule and substrate, as well as molecule and electrodes. These interactions may not only determine the spin-dependent functionality of the molecular structures, but also their integrity on the substrate. Likewise, there may be also a modification of the surface properties below and in the vicinity of a molecule. We have investigated several molecules on different metallic surfaces, among them magnetic Nd double-decker phthalocyanines, a cubane-type {Ni-4} complex with single -molecule magnet properties, and a nonmagnetic triazine-based molecule. For NdPc2 molecules adsorbed on a Cu(100) surface, our scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy studies show specific electronic states of the molecule -substrate complex. We find that the electric field between STM tip and sample must be taken into account to properly describe the electronic states associated with the upper Pc ligand.

We present combined first-principle calculations and experimental results of the transversal magneto-optical Kerr effect (T-MOKE) of thin Fe films across the 3p edges using linearly polarized synchrotron radiation. We show that the experimental T-MOKE spectra at the 3p edges of Fe exhibit clear signals that are strongly influenced by interference effects. Ab initio calculated T-MOKE asymmetry spectra confirm the importance of interference effects. The comparison of experimental with calculated spectra reveals some differences that we attribute to metal/metal interface roughness that is not taken into account in the calculations.

A systematic study of the iron–silicon interfaces formed upon preparation of (Fe/Si) multilayers has been performed by the combination of modern and powerful techniques. Samples were prepared by molecular beam epitaxy under ultrahigh vacuum onto Si wafers or single crystalline Ag(100) buffer layers grown on GaAs(100). The morphology of these films and their interfaces was studied by a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray reflectivity, angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Si-on-Fe interface thickness and roughness were determined to be 1.4(1)nm and 0.6(1)nm, respectively. Moreover, determination of the stable phases formed at both Fe-on-Si and Si-on-Fe interfaces was performed using conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy on multilayers with well separated Si-on-Fe and Fe-on-Si interfaces. It is shown that while a fraction of Fe remains as α-Fe, the rest has reacted with Si, forming the paramagnetic FeSi phase and a ferromagnetic Fe rich silicide. We conclude that there is an identical paramagnetic c-Fe1−xSi silicide sublayer in both Si-on-Fe and Fe-on-Si interfaces, whereas an asymmetry is revealed in the composition of the ferromagnetic silicide sublayer.

The morphology and the quantitative composition of the Fe-Si interface layer forming at each Fe layer of a (Fe/Si)3 multilayer have been determined by means of conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). For the CEMS measurements, each layer was selected by depositing the Mössbauer active 57Fe isotope with 95% enrichment. Samples with Fe layers of nominal thickness dFe = 2.6 nm and Si spacers of dSi = 1.5 nm were prepared by thermal evaporation onto a GaAs(001) substrate with an intermediate Ag(001) buffer layer. HRTEM images showed that Si layers grow amorphous and the epitaxial growth of the Fe is good only for the first deposited layer. The CEMS spectra show that at all Fe/Si and Si/Fe interfaces a paramagnetic c-Fe1−xSi phase is formed, which contains 16% of the nominal Fe deposited in the Fe layer. The bottom Fe layer, which is in contact with the Ag buffer, also contains α-Fe and an Fe1−xSix alloy that cannot be attributed to a single phase. In contrast, the other two layers only comprise an Fe1−xSix alloy with a Si concentration of ≃0.15, but no α-Fe.

We report an investigation of the influence of the crystal structure of Co thin films on the X-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) spectrum. We compare XMLD spectra measured in reflection at the 3p-edges for two distinct orientations of the magnetization in the crystalline Co film with ab initio calculated spectra. The latter was computed for the face-centered cubic as well as the hexagonal-close packed crystal structures of Co. We find that the XMLD signal is strongly dependent on the magnetization direction with respect to the crystal axes as well as strongly influenced by the crystal structure.

X-ray magnetic linear dichroism spectra measured in reflection (XMLD-R) on crystalline bcc Fe thin films across the 3 p absorption edges are reported. A series of measurements with varying orientation of the electric field vector of the linear polarized synchrotron radiation with respect to the crystal axes reveals a strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the XMLD-R spectra. The spectra agree well with theoretical spectra calculated within the framework of the density-functional theory accounting for the spin-orbital and exchange splitting of the 3 p semicore states on an equal footing.

This work presents the correlation between the morphology and magnetic properties of (Fe/Si)(3) multilayers with different Fe layer thicknesses and fixed Si spacer thickness in a broad temperature range (5 < T < 800 K). Films were prepared by thermal evaporation under ultrahigh vacuum onto a buffer layer of Fe/Ag deposited on a GaAs(001) substrate. Transmission electron microscopy reveals good cpitaxial growth and phase transformations in the c-FeSi phase formed during deposition as well as upon subsequent annealing of the sample up to 800 K. Remanence to saturation magnetization M-R/M-s ratios and saturation fields are related to several types of interlayer exchange coupling. 90 coupling and a superposition of 90 and antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling are found depending on the Fe layer thickness. Magnetization curves were investigated as a function of temperature by in situ annealing. They show an irreversible thermal process as temperature increases from 300 to 450 K that is correlated to the formation of a ferromagnetic silicide phase. At higher temperature this phase transforms into a paramagnetic Fe-Si phase. (C) 2014 Elsevier BY. All rights reserved.

We have performed a combined spectroscopy and microscopy study on surfaces of Sb2Te3/Si(111) thin films exposed to air and annealed under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Scanning tunneling microscopy images, with atomic resolution present in most areas of such processed surfaces, show a significant amount of impurities and defects. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals the bulk band gap of ∼170 meV centered ∼65 meV above the Fermi level. This intrinsic p-type doping behavior is confirmed by high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectra, which show the dispersions of the lower Dirac cone and the spectral weight of the bulk valence bands crossing the Fermi level. Spin-polarized photoemission revealed up to ∼15% in-plane spin polarization for photoelectrons related to the topologically protected Dirac cone states near the Fermi level, and up to ∼40% for several states at higher binding energies. The results are interpreted using ab initio electronic structure simulations and confirm the robustness of the time-reversal symmetry protected topological surface states in Sb2Te3 in the presence of impurities and defects.

The trilayer system MgO/Au monolayer/Fe was investigated by hard x-ray photoemission experiments in combination with the standing-wave technique. The insertion of the Au layer into the Fe/MgO tunnel junction provides an additional handle to influence the properties of the interface. The recently explored method of standing-wave excited hard x-ray photoemission was used to investigate both the structural properties and chemical states of the interfacial layers in one experiment. The results show that the Au monolayer does not grow as a closed layer, but intermixes strongly with the Fe below. This behaviour results in a very sharp interface between the Au/Fe and the MgO layer on top. However, the XPS spectra show no hint for a formation of FeO at the interface.

Co/Cu/Co lateral spin valves (LSV), with Co being the topmost layer, are in situ prepared and measured under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The clean process yields a non-local spin signal of 0.9 mΩ. Scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis (SEMPA) reveals domain structures in both magnetic electrodes that depend on the LSV dimensions. The spin signal correlates to SEMPA images as well as the anisotropic magnetoresistance of both Co magnets, revealing a strong impact of multi-domain states on the spin signal.

We report on the enhancement of antiferromagnetic coupling in epitaxial Fe/Si/Fe structures by voltage-driven spin-polarized tunneling currents. Using the ballistic electron magnetic microscopy, we established that the hot-electron collector current reflects magnetization alignment and the magnetocurrent exceeds 200% at room temperature. The saturation magnetic field for the collector current corresponding to the parallel alignment of magnetizations rises up with the tunneling current, thus demonstrating stabilization of the antiparallel alignment and increasing antiferromagnetic coupling. We connect the enhancement of antiferromagnetic coupling with local dynamic spin torques mediated by spin-polarized tunneling electrons.

We report on the conditions necessary for the electrical injection of spin-polarized electrons into indium nitride nanowires synthesized from the bottom up by molecular beam epitaxy. The presented results mark the first unequivocal evidence of spin injection into III-V semiconductor nanowires. Utilizing a newly developed preparation scheme, we are able to surmount shadowing effects during the metal deposition. Thus, we avoid strong local anisotropies that arise if the ferromagnetic leads are wrapping around the nanowire. Using a combination of various complementary techniques, inter alia the local Hall effect, we carried out a comprehensive investigation of the coercive fields and switching behaviors of the cobalt micromagnetic spin probes. This enables the identification of a range of aspect ratios in which the mechanism of magnetization reversal is single domain switching. Lateral nanowire spin valves were prepared. The spin relaxation length is demonstrated to be about 200 nm, which provides an incentive to pursue the route toward nanowire spin logic devices.

We report on the experimental and analytical work on spin-transfer torque induced vortex dynamics in metallic nanopillars with in-plane magnetized layers. We study nanopillars with a diameter of 150 nm, containing two Fe layers with a thickness of 15 nm and 30 nm, respectively, separated by a 6 nm Ag spacer. The sample geometry is such that it allows for the formation of magnetic vortices in the Fe discs. As confirmed by micromagnetic simulations, we are able to prepare states where one magnetic layer is homogeneously magnetized while the other contains a vortex. We experimentally show that in this configuration spin-transfer torque can excite vortex dynamics and analyse their dependence on a magnetic field applied in the sample plane. The centre of gyration is continuously dislocated from the disc centre, and the potential changes its shape with field strength. The latter is reflected in the field dependence of the excitation frequency. In the second part we propose a novel mechanism for the excitation of the gyrotropic mode in nanopillars with a perfectly homogeneously magnetized in-plane polarizing layer. We analytically show that in this configuration the vortex can absorb energy from the spin-polarized electric current if the angular spin-transfer efficiency function is asymmetric. This effect is supported by micromagnetic simulations.