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Engineering

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

2006

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Optical Characterization Of Ferromagnetic Heterostructure *Interfaces And Thin Films, Haibin Zhao Jan 2006

Optical Characterization Of Ferromagnetic Heterostructure *Interfaces And Thin Films, Haibin Zhao

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This thesis presents optical characterizations of interfaces in ferromagnetic heterostructures and thin films used for spin polarized electronic devices. In these experiments, femtosecond laser spectroscopies are exploited to investigate the interface magnetization reversal, spin precession, and band offset, which are crucial in determining the performances of spintronic devices.;First, magnetization-induced second-harmonic-generation (MSHG) is applied to study interface magnetism in a hybrid structure containing a noncentrosymmetric semiconductor---Fe/AlGaAs. The reversal process of Fe interface layer magnetization is compared with the bulk magnetization reversal. In Fe/AlGaAs (001), the interface magnetization is found to be decoupled from the bulk magnetization based on the different switching …


Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy Of Half -Metallic Chromium Dioxide, Hailong Huang Jan 2006

Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy Of Half -Metallic Chromium Dioxide, Hailong Huang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This thesis presents ultrafast laser pump-probe differential transmission experiments on epitaxial CrO2 (110). The experiments were conducted at the wavelengths of 600 nm, 800 nm and 1200 nm, corresponding to the transition energies of 2 eV, 1.5 eV and 1 eV respectively. The wavelength dependent results, comparing with linear optical absorption, revealed the electronic structure of the material. The experimental results also showed polarization dependence of the probe beams. This is attributed to the electronic orbital anisotropy.;Temperature dependence was observed in the pump-probe experiments. The ultrafast transmission data show similar temperature dependence as ultrafast MOKE (Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect) data. A …