Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Commons^™

Charge Order, Dynamics, And Magnetostructural Transition In Multiferroic Lufe2o4, X. S. Xu, M. Angst, T. V. Brinzari, R. P. Hermann, J. L. Musfeldt, A. D. Christianson, D. Mandrus, B. C. Sales, S. Mcgill, J. -W. Kim, Z. Islam

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

We investigated the series of temperature and field-driven transitions in LuFe₂O₄ by optical and Mossbauer spectroscopies, magnetization, and x-ray scattering in order to understand the interplay between charge, structure, and magnetism in this multiferroic material. We demonstrate that charge fluctuation has an onset well below the charge ordering transition, supporting the ‘‘order by fluctuation’’ mechanism for the development of charge order superstructure. Bragg splitting and large magneto-optical contrast suggest a low-temperature monoclinic distortion that can be driven by both temperature and magnetic field.

Photoconductivity In Bifeo3 Thin Films, S. R. Basu, L. W. Martin, Y. H. Chu, M. Gajek, R. Ramesh, R. C. Rai, X. S. Xu, J. L. Musfeldt

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

The optical properties of epitaxial BiFeO₃ thin films have been characterized in the visible range. Variable temperature spectra show an absorption onset near 2.17 eV, a direct gap (2.667±0.005 eV at 300 K), and charge transfer excitations at higher energy. Additionally, we report photoconductivity in BiFeO₃ films under illumination from a 100 mW/cm² white light source. A direct correlation is observed between the magnitude of the photoconductivity and postgrowth cooling pressure. Dark conductivities increased by an order of magnitude when comparing films cooled in 760 and 0.1 Torr. Large increases in photoconductivity are observed in light.

Optical Band Gap Of Bifeo3 Grown By Molecular-Beam Epitaxy, J. F. Ihlefeld, N. J. Podraza, Z. K. Liu, R. C. Rai, X. Xu, T. Heeg, Y. B. Chen, J. Li, R. W. Collins, J. L. Musfeldt, X. Q. Pan, J. Schubert, R. Ramesh, D. G. Schlom

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

BiFeO₃ thin films have been deposited on (001) SrTiO₃ substrates by adsorption-controlled reactive molecular-beam epitaxy. For a given bismuth overpressure and oxygen activity, single-phase BiFeO₃ films can be grown over a range of deposition temperatures in accordance with thermodynamic calculations. Four-circle x-ray diffraction reveals phase-pure, epitaxial films with w rocking curve full width at half maximum values as narrow as 29 arc sec (0.008°). Multiple-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry reveals a direct optical band gap at 2.74 eV for stoichiometric as well as 5% bismuth-deficient single-phase BiFeO₃ films.

Magnetic Enhancement In Cobalt-Manganese Alloy Clusters, Shuangye Yin, Ramiro Moro, Xiaoshan Xu, Walter A. De Heer

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Magnetic moments of Co_NMn_M and Co_NV_M clusters (N ≤ 60; M ≤ N/3) are measured in molecular beams using the Stern-Gerlach deflection method. Surprisingly, the per atom average moments of Co_NMn_M clusters are found to increase with Mn concentration, in contrast to bulk CoMn. The enhancement with Mn doping is found to be independent of cluster size and composition in the size range studied. Meanwhile, Co_NV_M clusters show reduction of average moments with increasing V doping, consistent with what is expected in bulk CoV. The results are …

Anisotropic Magnetoresistance In Colossal Magnetoresistive La1−XsrXMno3 Thin Films, Jeng-Bang Yau, X. Hong, A. Posadas, C. H. Ahn, W. Gao, E. Altman, Y. Bason, L. Klein, M. Sidorov, Z. Krivokapic

Xia Hong Publications

We report on magnetic field and temperature-dependent measurements of the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in epitaxial La_1−xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO) thin films. While in 3d ferromagnetic alloys increasing the magnetization, either by reducing the temperature or increasing the magnetic field, increases the AMR, we find that in LSMO films the AMR dependence on magnetization displays nonmonotonic behavior which becomes particularly pronounced in lightly doped compounds. We believe that this behavior is related to the inhomogeneity exhibited by these materials.

Planar Hall Effect In Epitaxial Thin Films Of Magnetite, Y. Bason, L. Klein, H. Q. Wang, J. Hoffman, X. Hong, V. E. Henrich, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

We measured the planar Hall effect (PHE) of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) films between 150 and 350 K. The PHE was measured both with a constant magnetic field rotating in the plane of the sample and in a remanent state after applying a field in specific directions. The PHE amplitude decreases with temperature; however, it changes little between 300 and 350 K. The remanent PHE signal is as high as 10 V/A, larger than previously observed in manganite films. We also measured the PHE in the remanent state and found that its magnitude and stability make it a …

Ferromagnetism And Structure Of Epitaxial Cr-Doped Anatase Tio2 Thin Films, T. C. Kaspar, T. Droubay, V. Shutthanandan, S. M. Heald, C. M. Wang, D. E. Mccready, S. Thevuthasan, J. D. Bryan, D. R. Gamelin, A. J. Kellock, M. F. Toney, X. Hong, C. H. Ahn, S. A. Chambers

Xia Hong Publications

The materials and magnetic properties of Cr-doped anatase TiO₂ thin films deposited on LaAlO₃(001) and SrTiO₃(001) substrates by oxygen-plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy have been studied in detail to elucidate the origin of ferromagnetic ordering. Cr substitution for Ti in the anatase lattice, with no evidence of Cr interstitials, segregation, or secondary phases, was independently confirmed by transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, extended x-ray absorption fine structure, and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in the channeling geometry. Epitaxial films deposited at ~0.1 Å/ s were found to have a highly defected crystalline structure, as quantified …

Effect Of Electric Field Doping On The Anisotropic Magnetoresistance In Doped Manganites, X. Hong, J.-B. Yau, J. D. Hoffman, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

We have modulated the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in 3–4 nm manganite films using the ferroelectric field effect—a method that electrostatically varies the carrier density without affecting the lattice distortion. While significant changes have been induced in T_C and p, the AMR ratio remains the same when the magnetic state is not changed. This scaling behavior is in striking contrast to chemical doping results, where similar modulation of the carrier concentration (~0.1/Mn) changes the AMR ratio by ≥30%. The results reveal unambiguously the dominant role of chemical distortion in determining the AMR in manganites.

Planar Hall-Effect Magnetic Random Access Memory, Y. Bason, L. Klein, J.-B. Yau, X. Hong, J. Hoffman, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

We suggest a type of magnetic random access memory (MRAM) that is based on the phenomenon of the planar Hall effect (PHE) in magnetic films, and we demonstrate this idea with manganite films. The PHE-MRAM is structurally simpler than the currently developed MRAM that is based on magnetoresistance tunnel junctions, with the tunnel junction structure being replaced by a single-layer film.

Magnetic Moments And Adiabatic Magnetization Of Free Cobalt Clusters, Xiaoshan Xu, Shuangye Yin, Ramiro Moro, Walt A. De Heer

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Magnetizations and magnetic moments of free cobalt clusters CoN (12< N <200) in a cryogenic (25 K ≤ T ≤ 100 K) molecular beam were determined from Stern-Gerlach deflections. All clusters preferentially deflect in the direction of the increasing field and the average magnetization resembles the Langevin function for all cluster sizes even at low temperatures. We demonstrate in the avoided crossing model that the average magnetization may result from adiabatic processes of rotating and vibrating clusters in the magnetic field and that spin relaxation is not involved. This resolves a longstanding problem in the interpretation of cluster beam deflection experiments with implications for nanomagnetic systems in …

Measurement Of Magnetic Moments Of Free BiNMnM Clusters, Shuangye Yin, Xiaoshan Xu, Ramiro Moro, Walt A. De Heer

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Magnetic properties of free Bi_NMn_M clusters (N=2–20, M=0–7) are determined from Stern-Gerlach deflections at low temperature (46.5 K). Pure bismuth clusters with odd number of atoms exhibit paramagnetic deflections. The addition of manganese atoms produces a ferromagnetic response which is strongly size dependent. Certain combinations have very large magnetic moments such as Bi₅Mn₃, Bi₉ Mn₄, Bi₁₀Mn₅, and Bi₁₂Mn₆.

Specification Of Jecp/Holz, An Interactive Computer Program For Simulation Of Holz Pattern, Xingzhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

1. Purpose of the program 2. Graphic user interface and program design 3. Formulas for calculating the positions of the HOLZ lines 4. System requirement 5. Installation and user instruction 6. How to contact the author 7. References

1. Purpose of the program JECP/HOLZ (Li, 2005a) is one computer program in the Java Electron Crystallography Package (JECP), which is designed and written by Dr. XingZhong Li. The package is developed for quantitative electron diffraction and image processing purpose, JECP/HOLZ is an interactive program for simulation of the higher-order Laue zone (HOLZ) lines using kinematical approximation and a first-order dynamic correction. …

Examining The Screening Limit Of Field Effect Devices Via The Metal–Insulator Transition, X. Hong, A. Posadas, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

The electronic screening length, the distance over which an electric field is attenuated in a material, imposes a lower physical bound on the lateral size scaling of semiconductor field effect devices. Alternatives will be needed to achieve devices whose characteristic dimensions approach a nanometer. In this work, we demonstrate the atomic-scale nature of screening at high electron densities, using the polarization field of a ferroelectric oxide, Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃, to electrostatically modulate the metallicity of ultrathin manganite La_1−xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO) films near the metal-insulator transition. Within the screening length, the transport characteristics of LSMO vary sharply …

Anisotropy Of Exchange Stiffness And Its Effect On The Properties Of Magnets, K. D. Belashchenko

Kirill Belashchenko Publications

Using the spin-spiral formulation of the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital method, the principal components of the exchange stiffness tensor are calculated for typical hard magnets including tetragonal CoPt-type and hexagonal YCo₅ alloys. The exchange stiffness is strongly anisotropic in all studied alloys. This anisotropy makes the domain wall surface tension anisotropic. Competition between this anisotropic surface tension and magnetostatic energy controls the formation and dynamics of nanoscale domain structures in hard magnets. Anisotropic domain wall bending is described in detail from the general point of view and with application to cellular Sm–Co magnets. It is shown that the repulsive …

Spin Uncoupling In Free Nb Clusters: Support For Nascent Superconductivity, Ramiro Moro, Shuangye Yin, Xiaoshan Xu, Walt A. De Heer

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Molecular beam Stern-Gerlach deflection measurements on Nb clusters (Nb_N, N <100) show that at very low temperatures the odd-N clusters deflect due to a single unpaired spin that is uncoupled from the cluster. At higher temperatures the spin is coupled and no deflections are observed. Spin uncoupling occurs concurrently with the transition to the recently found ferroelectric state, which has superconductor characteristics [Science 300, 1265 (2003)]. Spin uncoupling (also seen in V, Ta, and Al clusters) is analogous to the reduction of spin-relaxation rates observed in bulk superconductors below T_c.

Tem Study Of Crystalline Structures Of Cr–N Thin Films, Xingzhong Li, J. Zhang, David J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Cr–N films were grown on Si (001) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering under an N2/Ar atmosphere at room temperature. The composition of the films, expressed as Cr_1–xN_x, can be varied by changing the N₂/Ar pressure ratio during the synthesis process. Crystalline states of Cr–N films have been studied using electron diffraction. It is well known that two intermediate phases, Cr₂N (hexagonal) and CrN (cubic), exist in the Cr–N system, and small variations around the ideal stoichiometry are tolerated. The present study shows that cubic CrN with vacancies rather than hexagonal Cr_{2 …}

Giant Planar Hall Effect In Colossal Magnetoresistive La0.84Sr0.16Mno3 Thin Films, Y. Bason, L. Klein, J.-B. Yau, X. Hong, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

The transverse resistivity in thin films of La_0.84Sr_0.16MnO₃ (LSMO) exhibits sharp field-symmetric jumps below T_C . We show that a likely source of this behavior is the giant planar Hall effect combined with biaxial magnetic anisotropy. The effect is comparable in magnitude to that observed recently in the magnetic semiconductor Ga(Mn)As. It can be potentially used in applications such as magnetic sensors and nonvolatile memory devices.

Ferroelectricity In Free Niobium Clusters, Ramiro Moro, Xiaoshan Xu, Shuangye Yin, Walt A. De Heer

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Electric deflections of gas-phase, cryogenically cooled, neutral niobium clusters [Nb_N; number of atoms (N) = 2 to 150, temperature (T) = 20 to 300 kelvin], measured in molecular beams, show that cold clusters may attain an anomalous component with very large electric dipole moments. In contrast, room-temperature measurements show normal metallic polarizabilities. Characteristic energies k_BT_G(N) [Boltzmann constant k_B times a transition temperature T_G(N)] are identified, below which the ferroelectric-like state develops. Generally, T_G decreases [110 > T_G(N) > 10K] as …

Ferroelectric-Field-Induced Tuning Of Magnetism In The Colossal Magnetoresistive Oxide La1Àxsrxmno3, X. Hong, A. Posadas, A. Lin, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

A ferroelectric field effect approach is presented for modulating magnetism in the colossal magnetoresistive oxide La_1-xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO). The ferromagnetic Curie temperature of ultrathin LSMO films was shifted by 35 K reversibly using the polarization field of the ferroelectric oxide Pb(Zr_xTi_1-x)O₃ in a field effect structure. This shift was also observed in magnetoresistance measurements, with the maximum magnetoresistance ratio at 6 T increasing from 64% to 77%. This model system approach does not introduce substitutional disorder or structural distortion, demonstrating that regulating the carrier concentration alone changes the magnetic phase transition …

Specification Of Jecp/Sp: Stereographic Projection With An Application For Specimen Orientation Adjustment Using Tem Holders, Xingzhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

1. Purpose of the program 2. Graphic user interface and program design 3. Crystallographic principle and implementation 4. System requirement 5. Installation and user instruction 6. How to contact the author 7. References

1. Purpose of the program JECP/SP is a computer program in Java Electron Crystallography Package. JECP is developed for quantitative electron diffraction and image processing, the package is designed and written by Dr. XingZhong Li. JECP/SP provides the all necessary functions of stereographic projection for regular application and furthermore it can be used to minimized the difficulties encountered when tilting highly beam-sensitive, or small-grain-size specimens with known …

Jecp/Ed Manual, Xingzhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

JECP/ED is a Java program with graphic interface for simulating electron diffraction pattern. It is designed and written by Dr. Xingzhong in University of Nebraska- Lincoln. This is verision 12-2002. It can be used for simulating electron diffraction zone pattern(ZOLZ with/without FOLZ), it allows to select zone axis, high voltage, sample thickness in the simulation, optional to show index, intensity and Laue center, featureed with manuniplating the pattern with slightly tilting, 360 degree rotation, zoom. The diffraction intensity is calculated on the basis of the kinematical theory. The program is extended to simulate electron diffraction with a precession of incident …

Epitaxial Growth Of Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 On Si And Its Nanoscale Piezoelectric Properties, A. Lin, X. Hong, V. Wood, A. A. Verevkin, C. H. Ahn, R. A. Mckee, F. J. Walker, E. D. Specht

Xia Hong Publications

We have demonstrated a route to epitaxial Pb(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ on (001) Si that exhibits a uniform piezoelectric response down to nanoscale levels through the utilization of an insulating, single-crystalline SrTiO₃ transition layer. These structures, which were grown by a combination of molecular-beam epitaxy and off-axis magnetron sputtering, have a surface roughness of <5 Å, with piezoelectric microscopy measurements revealing a piezoelectric coefficient of ~50 pm/V that is switchable down to sub-100-nm dimensions.

Material Evaluation By Pulsed Diode Laser Optoacoustics, Xiaodong Xu

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Pulsed diode laser optoacoustic diagnostics were carried out to characterize solid sample materials. The apparatus developed is compact, portable, cost-effective and therefore very promising for both industrial as well as laboratory applications. To our knowledge, this is the first time that optoacoustic characterization and measurement have been performed with a diode laser. The method was successfully applied to measure the thickness of a multilayer structure non-intrusively. Internal cracks of the material were detected by this technique.

A theory for optoacoustic signal generation, propagation and detection is given. A numerical analysis technique is developed to solve for the expected signal. In …

Design And Construction Of A Lithium Vapor Oven, Corey A. Leon

Honors Theses

A lithium vapor oven to be used as a source of lithium target atoms in atomic collision experiments was designed and constructed. The oven was installed in the beamline of the Van de Graaff accelerator at Western Michigan University. Test results indicated the oven produced a diffuse cloud of evaporated lithium instead of the intended concentrated jet spray. Recommendations concerning the design are made for future efforts.

Systematic Estimate Of Binding Energies Of Weakly Bound Diatomic Molecules, Linda L. Vahala, Mark D. Havey

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

There is often insufficient spectroscopic data for a full RKR inversion to yield a potential for weakly bound diatomic molecules. In these cases, parametrized functions such as the Morse or Thakkar potentials may be used to obtain estimates of the binding energy. The Thakkar potential is more flexible, and has been used successfully on some weakly bound systems. In the more usual case, the Thakkar parameter p, which determines long range behavior R^-p, is chosen by p=-a₁-1, where a₁ is the first Dunham coefficient; p is usually noninteger. The authors present …

An Experimental Study Of The Cathode Fall In Helium And Argon With Wire Cathodes, L. G. Raub

University Studies (University of Nebraska) (1888–1984)

It was recognized rather early in the study of the phenomena of discharge of electricity through gases that the ordinary laws of conduction as found in solid and liquid conductors are not applicable to gases. It was shown by Zeleny and independently by Child that Ohm's law by no means represents the distribution of potential between electrodes in an ionized gas, but that the potential gradient is large in the vicinity of the electrodes, and not uniform throughout the space between them. When the pressure of the gas surrounding the electrodes is reduced to one or two millimeters and a …