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Optics

William & Mary

2006

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Physics

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 …


Static And Ultrafast Moke Studies Of Exchange -Biased Cobalt Systems, Keoki A. Seu Jan 2006

Static And Ultrafast Moke Studies Of Exchange -Biased Cobalt Systems, Keoki A. Seu

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

We have studied the exchange bias interaction in metal bilayers IrMn/Co and FeMn/Co using the static and ultrafast pump-probe Kerr effects. Experiments conducted on wedged Co samples show that the exchange bias interaction is sensitive to the buffer layers grown beneath it when the antiferromagnetic layer is FeMn. The exchange bias strength, as measured by the shift in the magnetic hysteresis loop, follows a 1/tFM dependence as reported in the literature. The time-domain pump-probe experiments reveal coherent magnetization oscillations, whose frequencies are comparable to those measured by frequency-domain FMR measurements, and they fit well to FMR equations for the frequency. …


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 …