Robust ferromagnetic insulating and large exchange bias in LaMnO3:CoO composite thin films

Ferromagnetic insulators have received widespread attention for applications in novel low power consumption spintronic devices. Further optimizing the robust ferromagnetic insulating and developing multifunctional ferromagnetic insulator by integrating other magnetic property can not only ease or pave the way for actual application, but also provide an additional freedom degree for device designing. In this work, by introducing antiferromagnetic CoO into ferromagnetic insulator LaMnO3, we have constructed (1-x)LaMnO3:xCoO composite thin films. The films simultaneously show robust ferromagnetic insulator characteristics and large exchange bias. For x = 0.5 sample, the resistivity is 120 Ω·cm at 250 K while the magnetization is 100 emu/cm3 and the exchange bias field is -2200 Oe at 10 K. Especially, the blocking temperature is up to 140 K. Synchrotron radiation x-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals the coexistence of Mn3+, Mn2+, Co2+ and Co3+, arising from interfacial charge transfer and space charge/defect trapping, should be responsible for the enhanced and integrated multifunctional magnetic properties.

Reduction of charge offset drift using plasma oxidized aluminum in SETs

Aluminum oxide ($${\text {AlO}}_x$$ AlO x )-based single-electron transistors (SETs) fabricated in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chambers using in situ plasma oxidation show excellent stabilities over more than a week, enabling applications as tunnel barriers, capacitor dielectrics or gate insulators in close proximity to qubit devices. Historically, $${\text {AlO}}_x$$ AlO x -based SETs exhibit time instabilities due to charge defect rearrangements and defects in $${\text {AlO}}_x$$ AlO x often dominate the loss mechanisms in superconducting quantum computation. To characterize the charge offset stability of our $${\text {AlO}}_x$$ AlO x -based devices, we fabricate SETs with sub-1 e charge sensitivity and utilize charge offset drift measurements (measuring voltage shifts in the SET control curve). The charge offset drift ($$\Delta {Q_0}$$ Δ Q 0 ) measured from the plasma oxidized $${\text {AlO}}_x$$ AlO x SETs in this work is remarkably reduced (best $$\Delta {Q_0}=0.13 \, \hbox {e} \, \pm \, 0.01 \, \hbox {e}$$ Δ Q 0 = 0.13 e ± 0.01 e over $$\approx 7.6$$ ≈ 7.6 days and no observation of $$\Delta {Q_0}$$ Δ Q 0 exceeding $$1\, \hbox {e}$$ 1 e ), compared to the results of conventionally fabricated $${\text {AlO}}_x$$ AlO x tunnel barriers in previous studies (best $$\Delta {Q_0}=0.43 \, \hbox {e} \, \pm \, 0.007 \, \hbox {e}$$ Δ Q 0 = 0.43 e ± 0.007 e over $$\approx 9$$ ≈ 9 days and most $$\Delta {Q_0}\ge 1\, \hbox {e}$$ Δ Q 0 ≥ 1 e within one day). We attribute this improvement primarily to using plasma oxidation, which forms the tunnel barrier with fewer two-level system (TLS) defects, and secondarily to fabricating the devices entirely within a UHV system.

Toward Modeling Charge-Defect Reactions at the Atomistic Level

Defect reactions involving charged species are commonplace in nuclear fuels fabrication and burn-up. Even the simplest of these fuels, uranium dioxide (UO2), typically involves the nominal charge states of +3, +4, and +5 or +6 in U and -1 and -2 states in O. Simulations that attempt to model evolutionary processes in the fuels require tracking changes among these charge states. At the atomistic level, modeling defect reactions poses a particularly vexing problem. Typical potential energy surfaces do not have this type of physical phenomena built into them. Those models that do attempt to model charge-defect reactions do not have especially strong physical bases for the models. For instance, most do not obey established limits of charge behavior at dissociation or lack internal consistency. This work presents substantial generalizations to earlier work of Perdew et al. No matter the size of the system, total system hamiltonians can be decomposed into subsystem or site hamiltonians and coulombic interactions. Site hamiltonians can be evaluated in a spectral representation, once an integer number of electrons are assigned. For both pair and individual site hamiltonians a dilemma emerges in that many sites are better understood as possessing a fractional charge. The dilemma is how to weight the site integer-charge states in a physically consistent manner. One approach to solving the dilemma results in two distinct charge-dependent energy contributions emerge, arising from intra- and inter-subsystem charge transfer. Further analysis results in a model of the intra-subsystem charge-transfer that can accommodate the mixed valence states of either U or O in nuclear fuels. Mixed valence properties add complications to the model that originate in the phenomenological fact that it typically requires different amounts of energy to increase or decrease charge. As a result of the inherent complexity one has the option of using multiple charges, a concept with strong ties to shell models, or modeling parameters not directly related to charge as functions of charge. This latter approach is illustrated by invoking a minimization principle that does preserve the important dissociation limits of Perdew et al., in order to complete the model.

Charge-Defect Equilibrium Description of the Staebler-Wronski Defect Concentration and Formation Energy

ABSTRACTAn equilibrium framework for the high temperature behavior of dangling bond defects in amorphous materials is developed. With this framework it is possible to relate the thermal formation of defects directly with those created by high temperature illumination or current injection. It is found that the free energy change associated with dangling bond formation is negative. The negative free energy change means that if one considered only the structural changes, the lowest energy state for the system is with the weak bonds split into neutral and charged dangling bonds!