Magnetization dynamics in polycrystalline Permalloy and epitaxial Co platelets observed by time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy

We studied the dynamic magnetization response in rectangular polycrystalline Permalloy and also epitaxial Co structures (lateral sizes comprised tens of microns at a thickness of tens of nanometers) during the action of a magnetic field pulse, using time-resolved X-ray photoemission electron microscopy with a time resolution of 10 ps. In the case of Permalloy platelets the restoring torque that is necessary for the stroboscopic image acquisition is provided by the Landau flux closure structure representing a minimum of the free energy. We investigated the dynamic response of 90° Neel domain walls. The main results are: the maximum velocity of the domain wall is 1.5 × 104 m/s, the intrinsic …

Magnetization dynamics in microscopic spin-valve elements: Shortcomings of the macrospin picture

We have studied ultrafast magnetodynamics in micropatterned spin-valve structures using time-resolved x-ray photoemission electron microscopy combined with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Exciting the system with ultrafast field pulses of $250\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ps}$ width, we find the dynamic response of the free layer to fall into two distinctly different contributions. On the one hand, it exhibits localized spin wave modes that strongly depend on the shape of the micropattern. A field pulse applied perpendicular to the exchange bias field along the diagonal of a square pattern leads to the excitation of a standing spin wave mode with two nodes along the field direction.…

Nanosession: Advanced Spectroscopy and Scattering

Recent progress in photoemission microscopy with emphasis on chemical and magnetic sensitivity

Abstract With the improved access to synchrotron radiation sources photoemission electron microscopy is developing into a versatile analytical tool in surface and materials science. The broad spectral range and the well-defined polarization characteristics of synchrotron light permit a unique combination of topographic, chemical, and even magnetic investigations down to a mesoscopic scale. The potentiality of photoemission electron microscopy is demonstrated by several experiments on surfaces and microstructured thin film systems, which have been carried out with a newly designed instrument. We discuss its different modes of operation with respect to both microscopy and spectroscopy. A comb…

Nanosession: Spin Tunneling Systems

Transient spatio-temporal domain patterns in permalloy microstructures induced by fast magnetic field pulses

The response of multidomain flux-closure structures (Landau states) in micrometer-scale magnetic thin-film elements upon fast magnetic field pulses leads to the excitation of magnetic eigenmodes and to short-lived domain patterns that do not occur in quasi-static remagnetisation. Such transient spatio-temporal patterns and particular detail features are discussed. Examples are presented for permalloy platelets of various shapes and sizes. Dynamic series of domain patterns with variable delay between field pulse and photon pulse (synchrotron radiation) have been taken using stroboscopic XMCD-PEEM. Precessional remagnetisation starts at the domain boundaries. The damped precessional motion pr…

Electronic structure of EuO spin filter tunnel contacts directly on silicon

We present an electronic structure study of a magnetic oxide/ semiconductor model system, EuO on silicon, which is dedicated for efficient spin injection and spin detection in silicon-based spintronics devices. A combined electronic structure analysis of Eu core levels and valence bands using hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy was performed to quantify the nearly ideal stoichiometry of EuO “spin filter” tunnel barriers directly on silicon, and the absence of silicon oxide at the EuO/Si interface. These results provide evidence for the successful integration of a magnetic oxide tunnel barrier with silicon, paving the way for the future integration of magnetic oxides into functional spintr…

Probing bulk electronic structure with hard X-ray angle-resolved photoemission.

Traditional ultraviolet/soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) may in some cases be too strongly influenced by surface effects to be a useful probe of bulk electronic structure. Going to hard X-ray photon energies and thus larger electron inelastic mean-free paths should provide a more accurate picture of bulk electronic structure. We present experimental data for hard X-ray ARPES (HARPES) at energies of 3.2 and 6.0 keV. The systems discussed are W, as a model transition-metal system to illustrate basic principles, and GaAs, as a technologically-relevant material to illustrate the potential broad applicability of this new technique. We have investigated the effects of …

Investigating surface magnetism by means of photoexcitation electron emission microscopy

The imaging of surfaces by means of photoexcitation electron emission microscopy (PEEM) has recently received considerable interest. This is mainly due to the extended use and availability of brilliant synchrotron radiation in the soft x-ray regime which generally facilitates studies with surface specificity and chemical selectivity. The most popular application of the x-ray PEEM (XPEEM) technique concerns studies of magnetic systems and phenomena. By exploiting the high degree of circular or linear polarization of the synchrotron light, the magnetic microstructure in both ferromagnets and antiferromagnets can be visualized. In this contribution we demonstrate the unique potential and the v…

Nanosession: Valence Change Memories - A Look Inside

Sub-nanosecond resolution x-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron microscopy of magnetization processes in a permalloy ring

Fast magnetization processes in a microstructured permalloy ring with 80 µm o.d. and 30 nm thickness have been observed by photoemission electron microscopy exploiting x-ray magnetic circular dichroism as the magnetic contrast mechanism. As a high speed probe we employed synchrotron radiation pulses at the ESRF (Grenoble) operated in 16-bunch mode, yielding photon pulses of 105 ps FWHM with a period of 176 ns. Fast magnetic field pulses have been generated by means of current pulses through coplanar waveguides with the magnetic structure being lithographically prepared on their surface. A stroboscopic pump–probe set-up with a variable time delay between the field pulse and photon pulse allo…

Accessing fast magnetization dynamics by XPEEM: Status and perspectives

Abstract Being already well established as a versatile technique for high-resolution static magnetic domain imaging, X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (XPEEM) is now also capturing the field of time-resolved magnetic investigations. Using appropriate operation modes at synchrotron radiation sources, a time resolution of 10 ps and less can be achieved in recent magnetodynamics studies, giving access even to phenomena involving precessional processes.

Electronic Structure Changes across the Metamagnetic Transition in FeRh via Hard X-Ray Photoemission

International audience; Stoichiometric FeRh undergoes a temperature-induced antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferromagnetic (FM) transition at similar to 350 K. In this Letter, changes in the electronic structure accompanying this transition are investigated in epitaxial FeRh thin films via bulk-sensitive valence-band and core-level hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with a photon energy of 5.95 keV. Clear differences between the AFM and FM states are observed across the entire valence-band spectrum and these are well reproduced using density-functional theory. Changes in the 2p core levels of Fe are also observed and interpreted using Anderson impurity model calculations. These results indicat…

Chemical stability of the magnetic oxide EuO directly on silicon observed by hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy

We present a detailed study of the electronic structure and chemical state of high-quality stoichiometric EuO and O-rich ${\mathrm{Eu}}_{1}{\mathrm{O}}_{1+x}$ thin films grown directly on silicon without any buffer layer using hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES). We determine the EuO oxidation state from a consistent quantitative peak analysis of $4f$ valence band and $3d$ core-level spectra. The results prove that nearly ideal, stoichiometric, and homogeneous EuO thin films can be grown on silicon, with a uniform depth distribution of divalent Eu cations. Furthermore, we identify the chemical stability of the EuO/silicon interface from Si $2p$ core-level photoemission. This work…