Spin torque transistor revisited

We theoretically study the operation of a 4-terminal device consisting of two lateral thin-film spin valves that are coupled by a magnetic insulator such as yttrium iron garnet via the spin transfer torque. By magnetoelectronic circuit theory we calculate the current voltage characteristics and find negative differential resistance and...

Substrate temperature and electron fluence effects on metallic films created by electron beam induced deposition

Using three different precursors [MeCpPtMe3, Pt(PF3)4, and W(CO)6], an ultra-high vacuum surface science approach has been used to identify and rationalize the effects of substrate temperature and electron fluence on the chemical composition and bonding in films created by electron beam induced deposition (EBID). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy...

Oxidation kinetics of nanoscale copper films studied by terahertz transmission spectroscopy

Terahertz (THz) transmission spectroscopy is used to measure the oxidation kinetics of copper thin films evaporated on silicon substrates. The transmission of broadband THz pulses from 1 to 7 THz through the copper film is measured while it gets oxidized at an elevated temperature in ambient air. The change in the transmitted THz electric field...

Divacancies and the hydrogenation of Mg-Ti films with short range chemical order

We obtained evidence for the partial chemical segregation of as-deposited and hydrogenated Mg1?yTiy films (0 ? y ? 0.30) into nanoscale Ti and Mg domains using positron Doppler-broadening. We exclusively monitor the hydrogenation of Mg domains, owing to the large difference in positron affinity for Mg and Ti. The electron momentum distribution...

Characterization of room temperature metal microbolometers near the metal-insulator transition regime for scanning thermal microscopy

Metal microbolometers, used in scanning thermal microscopy, were microfabricated from <20?nm titanium thin films on SiO2/Si3N4/SiO2 cantilevers. These thin films are near the metal-insulator transition regime such that as the film thickness decreases—the resistance increases and the current-voltage characteristics cross over from sublinear to...

Quasifree Mg–H thin films

The thermodynamics of hydrogen absorption in Pd-capped Mg films are strongly dependent on the magnesium thickness. In the present work, we suppress such dependency by inserting a thin Ti layer between Mg and Pd. By means of optical measurements, we show that the surface energy contribution to the destabilization of MgH2 is negligible. The...

Magnetic interference pattern in planar SNS Josephson junctions

Nonreciprocal spin wave spectroscopy of thin Ni–Fe stripes

The authors report on the observation of nonreciprocal spin wave propagation in a thin ( ? 200?nm) patterned Ni–Fe stripe. The spin wave transmission spectrum is measured using a pair of microstrip lines as antennas. The nonreciprocity of surface wave dispersion brought about by an adjacent aluminum ground leads to a nonreciprocal coupling of...

Defects and morphological changes in nanothin Cu films on polycrystalline Mo analyzed by thermal helium desorption spectrometry

Thermal helium desorption spectrometry (THDS) has been used for the investigation of defects and thermal stability of thin Cu films (5–200?Å) deposited on a polycrystalline Mo substrate in ultrahigh vacuum. These films are metastable at room temperature. On heating, the films transform into islands, giving rise to a relatively broad peak in the...

Magnetic properties of electroplated nano/microgranular NiFe thin films for rf application

A granular NiFe thin film with large in-plane magnetic anisotropy and high ferromagnetic-resonance frequency developed for radio-frequency integrated circuit (IC) applications is presented. During the deposition, three-dimensional (3D) growth occurs, yielding NiFe grains (? ? 1.0??m). Nanonuclei (? ? 30–50?nm) are observed in single NiFe grains...

Stress in sputter-deposited Cr films: Influence of Ar pressure

We studied the tensile stress and grain-width evolution in sputter-deposited Cr films with thickness from 20?nm to 2.7??m. Films were deposited in an industrial Hauzer 750 physical vapor deposition machine at 50–80?°C. The films exhibited a columnar microstructure. A power law behavior of the tensile stress as well as of the average grain width...

Integration of a gate electrode into carbon nanotube devices for scanning tunneling microscopy

We have developed a fabrication process for incorporating a gate electrode into suspended single-walled carbon nanotube structures for scanning tunneling spectroscopy studies. The nanotubes are synthesized by chemical vapor deposition directly on a metal surface. The high temperature (800?°C) involved in the growth process poses challenging...

Stress in hard metal films

In the absence of thermal stress, tensile stress in hard metal films is caused by grain boundary shrinkage and compressive stress is caused by ion peening. It is shown that the two contributions are additive. Moreover tensile stress generated at the grain boundaries does not relax by ion bombardment. In polycrystalline hard metal films the grain...

Tensile stress in hard metal films

Thin films on substrates are usually in a stressed state. An important, but trivial, contribution to that stress stems from the difference in thermal expansion coefficient of substrate and film. Much more interesting are the intrinsic stresses, resulting from the growth and/or microstructure of the film. Intrinsic compressive stress was...

Enhanced tunneling across nanometer-scale metal–semiconductor interfaces

We have measured electrical transport across epitaxial, nanometer-sized metal–semiconductor interfaces by contacting CoSi2 islands grown on Si(111) with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The conductance per unit area was found to increase with decreasing diode area. Indeed, the zero-bias conductance was found to be ? 104 times larger...