Hysteresis loop behaviors of ferroelectric thin films: A Monte Carlo simulation study

The ferroelectric response of bismuth titanate Bi4Ti3O12(BIT) thin film is studied through a Monte Carlo simulation of hysteresis loops. The ferroelectric system is described by using a Diffour Hamiltonian with three terms: the electric field applied in the z direction, the nearest dipole–dipole interaction in the transversal(x–y) direction, and the nearest dipole–dipole interaction in the direction perpendicular to the thin film(the z axis). In the sample construction, we take into consideration the dipole orientations of the monoclinic and orthorhombic structures that can appear in BIT at low temperature in the ferroelectric state. The effects of temperature, stress, and the concentration of pinned dipole defects are assessed by using the hysteresis loops. The results indicate the changes in the hysteresis area with temperature and stress, and the asymmetric hysteresis loops exhibit evidence of the imprint failure mechanism with the emergence of pinned dipolar defects. The simulated shift in the hysteresis loops conforms to the experimental ferroelectric response.     

Magnetotransport properties and magnetocaloric effects of Mn1.95Cr0.05Sb0.95Ga0.05 compound

The magnetotransport properties and magnetocaloric effects of the compound Mn_{1.95}Cr_{0.05}Sb_{0.95}Ga_{0.05} have been studied. With decreasing temperature, a spontaneous first-order magnetic phase transition from ferrimagnetic (FI) to antiferromagnetic (AF) state takes place at T_s=200K. A metamagnetic transition from the AF to FI state can be induced by an external field, accompanied by a giant magnetoresistance effect of 57%. The magnetic entropy changes are determined from the temperature and field dependence of the magnetization using the thermodynamic Maxwell relation. Mn_{1.95}Cr_{0.05}Sb_{0.95}Ga_{0.05} exhibits a negative magnetocaloric effect, and the absolute values of ΔS_M^{max}(T,ΔH) are 4.4, 4.1, 3.6, 2.8 and 1.5 J/(kg·K) for magnetic field changes of 0－5T, 0－4T, 0－3T, 0－2T and 0－1T, respectively.     

Magnetization and demagnetization behaviours of melt-spun Pr12Fe82B6 and Pr8Fe87B5 ribbons

Nanocrystalline Pr_{12}Fe_{82}B_6 and nanocomposite Pr_8Fe_{87}B_5 ribbons have been prepared using a melt spinning technique. Recoil loops have been measured at 20, 200 and 300K. Demagnetization curves are analysed by dividing it into reversible and irreversible portions. High recoil loop susceptibility at low applied field and large reversible change in the demagnetization curve have been found in Pr_8Fe_{87}B_5 ribbons, showing that the reversible behaviours in nanocomposite permanent magnets originate primarily from the magnetically soft phase. The hysteresis in recoil loops found in Pr_8Fe_{87}B_5 ribbons originates from the soft phase α-Fe that suffers a stress.     

Hysteresis of the Magnetic Particle in a Dipolar Ising Model

Zero-temperature Monte Carlo simulations are used to investigate the hysteresis of a magnetic particle in a dipolar Ising model.The magnetic particle is described in a systemm of permanent dipoles,and the dipoles are located in a cubic lattice site.The effects of the shape and the size of the particle on the hysteresis loop at zero temperature are obtained.For strong exchange interactions,the shapes of magnetic hysteresis loops approach rectangle.For weak exchange interactions,the effects of the size and the shape of the particle on the loops are more remarkable than those of strong exchange interactions case.The slope of the hysteresis loop decreases with the increase of the ratio of the semi major axis to the semi minor axis of the ellipsoidal magnetic particle,and there is an increase of the slope of the hysteresis with the decrease of the size of the magnetic particle.The effects of the shape and size of the particle on the coercive force at zero temperature are also investigated.     

Twin diamond Crystals Grown at High Temperature and High Pressure from the Fe-Ni-C System

Twin diamond crystals grown at high temperature and high pressure (HPHT) in the presence of FeNi catalyst have been examined by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).Direct observation by TEM shows that there are a large amount of twins which lie on the {111} planes in the HPHT-grown diamonds.The twins in the diamond may be formed and may extend into the inner crystal from the twin nucleus formed in the nucleation process.The twins can be formed due to the carbon atoms falling mistakenly into positions where a twin crystal can form during diamond growth,or condensation of supersaturated vacancies on the {111} plane.some hexagonal dislocation loops related to supersaturated vacancies are found on the twins.The Moire fringe image reveals that stacking faults terminate on the intersecting twin boundary.This suggests that,at the temperature that the HPHT diamond is grown,the bordering partial has propagated by gliding up to the twin interface,which can be described by the reaction of a Shockley partial dislocation with a twin on the {111} plane.     

Novel material for nonvolatile ovonic unified memory (OUM)－Ag11In12Te26Sb51 phase change semiconductor

In this paper, Ag_{11}In_{12}Te_{26}Sb_{51} phase change semiconductor films have been prepared by dc sputtering. The crystallization behaviour of amorphous Ag_{11}In_{12}Te_{26}Sb_{51} thin films was investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray diffraction. It was found that the crystallization temperature is about 483K and the melting temperature is 754.8K and the activation energy for crystallization, E_a, is 2.07eV. The crystalline Ag_{11}In_{12}Te_{26}Sb_{51} films were obtained using initializer. The initialization conditions have a great effect on the sheet resistance of Ag_{11}In_{12}Te_{26}Sb_{51} films. We found that the effect of the initialization condition on the sheet resistance can be ascribed to the crystallinity of Ag_{11}In_{12}Te_{26}Sb_{51} films. The sheet resistance of the amorphous (R_{amo}) film is found to be larger than 1×10^6Ω and that of the crystalline (R_{cry}) film lies in the range from about 10^3 to 10^4Ω. So we have the ratio R_{amo}/R_{cry}=10^2～10^3, which is sufficiently large for application in memory devices.     

Relationship between the magnetic field distribution and attractive force of single-domain YBCO bulk under different field cooling processes

The levitation forces under different field cooling states were measured at 77K by changing the field cooling distance Z_{fc} between a YBCO bulk and a permanent magnet. It is found that the relationship between the absolute maximum attractive force (Z_{maf}) and the corresponding gap distance (Z_{maf}) to F_{maf} can be well described by exponential laws as a function of Z_{fc}, which allow us to predict these values according to Z_{fc}. It is also found that the distance between the Z_{0fa} (gap distance corresponding to the zero force) and Z_{maf} in the ascending process is a constant value, which is closely related to the constant reduction factor of the axial component of flux density along the axial line of the magnet if Z_{maf}-Z_{0fa} is a constant value. These results are very interesting for fundamental research and helpful in practical designing and applications.     

Vortex domain structures and dc currentdependence of magneto-resistances in magnetic tunnel junctions

Microfabrication and the magneto-transport characteristics of the magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a spin-valve-type structure of Ta (5nm)/Ni_{79}Fe_{21} (25nm)/Ir_{22}Mn_{78} (12nm)/Co_{75}Fe_{25} (4nm)/Al(0.8nm) oxide/Co_{75}Fe_{25} (4nm)/Ni_{79}Fe_{21} (20nm)/Ta(5nm) were investigated in this paper. A series of experimental data measured with a MTJ was used to verify a magnon-assisted tunnelling model and theory. Furthermore, a micromagnetics simulation shows that the butterfly-like vortex domain structures can be formed under a current-induced Oersted field, which decreases the net magnetization values of the ferromagnetic electrodes under a large dc current (i.e., in high voltage regimes). It is one of the main reasons for the tunnel magnetoresistance ratios to decrease significantly at high voltage biasing.     

Giant magnetoresistance in Y0.9La0.1Mn6Sn6 compound

Magnetic transitions and magnetoresistance effect of the HfFe_6Ge_6-type Y_{0.9}La_{0.1}Mn_6Sn_6 compound have been investigated in the temperature range of 5－380K. The sample displays antiferromagnetic behaviour in the whole temperature range below Néel temperature T_N=309K. The metamagnetic transition from antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism can be induced by an applied field. The metamagnetic transition field decreases monotonically from 2T at 5K to 0.4T at 300K. The giant magnetoresistance effect is observed with the metamagnetic behaviour, such as -10.4% at 245K under a field of 5T.     

Experimental investigation of the sub-Doppler transmission spectroscopy in a thin vapour layer at room temperature

The sub-Doppler transmission spectrum in a thin vapour layer (about 150 μm) was observed at room temperature using the wavelength modulation technology. The absorption signal and its second-order harmonic were detected with an external-cavity diode laser. A sub-Doppler spectrum corresponding to resonant transitions of the caesium D_2 line (6S_{1/2}→6P_{3/2}) was demonstrated. The dependence of the transmission signal on the intensity of the laser was also investigated.     

Growth of Mn5Ge3 ultrathin film on Ge（111）

The growth of Mn5Ge3 ultrathin films with different thicknesses, prepared by solid phase epitaxy, is studied. The results of scanning tunnelling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction studies show that the film can be formed and it is terminated with a （√3 × √3） R30° surface reconstruction when the thickness of Mn exceeds 3 monolayers. The magnetic properties show that the Curie temperature is about 300 K and the T^2-dependent behaviour is observed to remain up to 220 K.     

Influence of magnetic field sweep rate on the hysteresis loops of Ni0.8Fe0.2/Fe0.5Mn0.5 exchange bias bilayer

The influence of the magnetic field sweep rate on the hysteresis loops of exchange bias Ni0.8Fe0.2/Fe0.5Mn0.5 bilayers has been investigated with a vibrating sample magnetometer. It was found that the sweep rate of 13.6 kA/4πms is high enough to bring about obvious changes in the hysteresis loops of the exchange bias bilayer. High sweep rate in the magnetization reversal stage enlarges the coercivity of the sample, while high sweep rate in the saturation state reduces the coercivity. The above phenomena were attributed to magnetic viscosity in the ferromagnetic layer enhanced by the interface exchange interaction and domain magnetization reversals assisted by thermal fluctuation in the antiferromagnetic layer respectively.     

Nature of magnetic coupling between Mn ions in As-grown Ga1-xMnxAs studied by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

The magnetic properties of as-grown Ga1-xMnxAs have been investigated by the systematic measurements of temperature and magnetic field dependent soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The intrinsic XMCD intensity at high temperatures obeys the Curie-Weiss law, but a residual spin magnetic moment appears already around 100 K, significantly above the Curie temperature (T_{C}), suggesting that short-range ferromagnetic correlations are developed above T_{C}. The present results also suggest that the antiferromagnetic interaction between the substitutional and interstitial Mn (Mn_{int}) ions exists and that the amount of the Mn_{int} affects T_{C}.     

Spontaneous magnetization and resistivity jumps in bilayered manganite （La0.8Eu0.2）4/3Sr5/3Mn2O7 single crystals

Owing to the inhomogeneous state resulting from the doping of a small number of Eu ions into Laa/3Sr5/3Mn2O7, from the resulting single crystal （La0.8Eu0.2）a/3Sr5/3Mn2O7 we have observed the magnetization jump, the resistivity jump, as well as the relaxation phenomena. For （Lao.sEuo.2）a/3Sr5/3Mn2O7, it has a very delicate ground state due to the interplays among spin, charge, orbital, lattice degrees of freedom. Consequently, the magnetization state is sensitive to temperature, magnetic field, as well as time. Meanwhile, the evolution of the magnetization with time shows a spontaneous jump when both the temperature and the magnetic field are constant. Similar step-like behaviours are also observed in resistivity. All these results suggest that Eu doping can greatly modulate the physical properties of Laa/3Sr5/3Mn2O7 and cause such interesting behaviours.     

Cd_(0.96)Zn_(0.04)S/Cd_(0.97)Mn_(0.03)S/Cd_(0.96)Zn_(0.04)S多层纳米线中s-d交换作用的研究

以氧化铝纳米孔为模板,采用直流电化学沉积的方法制备了Cd_(0.96)Zn_(0.04)S/Cd_(0.97)Mn_(0.03)S/Cd_(0.96)Zn_(0.04)S量子阱纳米线阵列,并系统研究了该纳米线阵列在不同温度和不同磁场下的电学输运特性.随着外磁场的变化,样品表现出共振传输特性.通过量子阱理论对实验现象进行了分析,直接得到了稀磁层Cd_(0.97)Mn_(0.03)S中s-d交换作用常数N_0α的定量结果.研究发现该交换作用常数随温度具有e~(-1/T)的变化趋势.     

Ab initio calculations on the α^3∑u^＋ state properties of dimer ^7Li2

The comparison between single-point energy scanning （SPES） and geometry optimization （OPT） in determining the equilibrium geometry of the α^3∑u^＋ state for ^7Li2 is made at numerous basis sets such as 6-311＋＋G（2df）, cc-PVTZ, 6-311＋＋G（2df, p）, 6-311G（3df,3pd）, 6-311＋＋G（2df,2pd）, D95（3df,3pd）, 6-311＋＋G, DGDZVP, 6-311＋＋G（3df,2pd）, 6-311G（2df,2pd）, D95V＋＋, CEP-121G, 6-311＋＋G（d,p）, 6-311＋＋G（2df, pd） and 6-311＋＋G（3df,3pd） in full active space using a symmetry-adapted-cluster/ symmetry-adapted-cluster configuration-interaction （SAC/SAC=CI） method presented in Gaussian03 program package. The difference of the equilibrium geometries obtained by SPES and by OPT is reported. Analyses show that the results obtained by SPES are more reasonable than those obtained by OPT. We have calculated the complete potential energy curves at those sets over a wide internuclear distance range from about 3.0α0 to 37.0α0, and the conclusion is that the basis set cc-PVTZ is the most suitable one. With the potential obtained at ccopVTZ, the spectroscopic data （Te, De, D0, ωe,ωeХe, αe and Be） are computed and they are 1.006 eV, 338.71 cm^-1, 307.12 cm^-1, 64.88 cm^-1, 3.41 cm^-1, 0.0187 cm^-1 and 0.279 cm^-1, respectively, which are in good agreement with recent measurements. The total 11 vibrational states are found at J=0. Their corresponding vibrational levels and classical turning points are computed and compared with available RKR data, and good agreement is found. One inertial rotation constant （By） and six centrifugal distortion constants （Dr Hv, Lv, My, Nv, and Ov） are calculated. The scattering length is calculated to be -27.138α0, which is in good accord with the experimental data.