0000000000033802
AUTHOR
Dmitry Turchinovich
Resolving the Fundamentals of Magnetotransport in Metals with Ultrafast Terahertz Spectroscopy
Using terahertz spectroscopy we directly resolved the fundamentals of spin-dependent conductivity in ferromagnetic metals. We quantified the differences in conduction by Fermi-level electrons with opposite spins on the sub-100 fs timescale of electron momentum scattering.
Probing giant magnetoresistance with THz spectroscopy
We observe a giant magnetoresistance effect in CoFe/Cu-based multistack using THz time-domain spectroscopy. The magnetic field-dependent dc conductivity, electron scattering time, as well as spin-asymmetry parameter of the structure are successfully determined.
Large area conductive nanoaperture arrays with strong optical resonances and spectrally flat terahertz transmission
Using simple and inexpensive nanosphere lithography, we produce large, centimeter-squared sized thin golden films patterned with a hexagonal array of nanoapertures with controllable dimensions on the order of 100–300 nm, spaced by a 350–375 nm pitch distance. The optical transmission spectra of our samples are dominated by the resonant plasmonic features in the spectral range 500–700 nm, caused by the nanostructure in the film. At the same time, the transmission at terahertz (THz) radiation is as high as ∼10% and is spectrally flat. Our measurements are in agreement with finite difference time domain simulations. Such thin metal hole array films allow for very efficient injection of optical…
Reversible Photochemical Control of Doping Levels in Supported Graphene
Controlling the type and density of charge carriers in graphene is vital for a wide range of applications of this material in electronics and optoelectronics. To date, chemical doping and electrostatic gating have served as the two most established means to manipulate the carrier density in graphene. Although highly effective, these two approaches require sophisticated graphene growth or complex device fabrication processes to achieve both the desired nature and the doping densities with generally limited dynamic tunability and spatial control. Here, we report a convenient and tunable optical approach to tune the steady-state carrier density and Fermi energy in graphene by photochemically c…
Nano-holes vs nano-cracks in thin gold films: What causes anomalous THz transmission?
Nano-structuring materials can change their properties extraordinarily, but so can defects caused by manufacturing. We study the effect of capacitive defects on terahertz transmission in golden nanomeshes, and find their influence crucial.
Thickness-dependent electron momentum relaxation times in iron films
Terahertz time-domain conductivity measurements in 2 to 100 nm thick iron films resolve the femtosecond time delay between applied electric fields and resulting currents. This current response time decreases from 29 fs for thickest films to 7 fs for the thinnest films. The macroscopic response time is not strictly proportional to the conductivity. This excludes the existence of a single relaxation time universal for all conduction electrons. We must assume a distribution of microscopic momentum relaxation times. The macroscopic response time depends on average and variation of this distribution; the observed deviation between response time and conductivity scaling corresponds to the scaling…
Photoswitchable Micro-Supercapacitor Based on a Diarylethene-Graphene Composite Film
Stimuli-responsive micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) controlled by external stimuli can enable a wide range of applications for future on-chip energy storage. Here, we report on a photoswitchable MSC based on a diarylethene-graphene composite film. The microdevice delivers an outstanding and reversible capacitance modulation of up to 20%, demonstrating a prototype photoswitchable MSC. Terahertz spectroscopy indicates that the photoswitching of the capacitance is enabled by the reversible tuning of interfacial charge injection into diarylethene molecular orbitals, as a consequence of charge transfer at the diarylethene-graphene interface upon light modulation.
The ultrafast dynamics and conductivity of photoexcited graphene at different Fermi energies
The ultrafast dynamics and conductivity of photoexcited graphene can be explained using solely electronic effects.
Chemical Vapor Deposition Synthesis and Terahertz Photoconductivity of Low-Band-Gap N = 9 Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons.
Recent advances in bottom-up synthesis of atomically defined graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with various microstructures and properties have demonstrated their promise in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here we synthesized N = 9 armchair graphene nanoribbons (9-AGNRs) with a low optical band gap of ∼1.0 eV and extended absorption into the infrared range by an efficient chemical vapor deposition process. Time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy was employed to characterize the photoconductivity in 9-AGNRs and revealed their high intrinsic charge-carrier mobility of approximately 350 cm2·V-1·s-1.
Spin-resolved terahertz spectroscopy
As such, terahertz spectroscopy cannot resolve the spin structure of conducting particles. Here we introduce the spin sensitivity to terahertz spectroscopy by using the spin-valve configuration of the sample. As a result, the number density and momentum scattering time of conduction electrons in a ferromagnetic metal can be resolved according to their spin.
Efficient metallic spintronic emitters of ultrabroadband terahertz radiation
Terahertz electromagnetic radiation is extremely useful for numerous applications such as imaging and spectroscopy. Therefore, it is highly desirable to have an efficient table-top emitter covering the 1-to-30-THz window whilst being driven by a low-cost, low-power femtosecond laser oscillator. So far, all solid-state emitters solely exploit physics related to the electron charge and deliver emission spectra with substantial gaps. Here, we take advantage of the electron spin to realize a conceptually new terahertz source which relies on tailored fundamental spintronic and photonic phenomena in magnetic metal multilayers: ultrafast photo-induced spin currents, the inverse spin-Hall effect an…
Accessing the fundamentals of magnetotransport in metals with terahertz probes
Spin-dependent conduction in metals underlies all modern magnetic memory technologies, such as giant magnetoresistance (GMR). The charge current in ferromagnetic transition metals is carried by two non-mixing populations of sp-band Fermi-level electrons: one of majority-spin and one of minority-spin. These electrons experience spin-dependent momentum scattering with localized electrons, which originate from the spin-split d-band. The direct observation of magnetotransport under such fundamental conditions, however, requires magnetotransport measurements on the same timescale as the electron momentum scattering, which takes place in the sub-100 fs regime. Using terahertz electromagnetic prob…