Development of Instrumentation for Research on Magnetic Thin Films and Microstructures

磁性薄膜和微结构研究仪器的发展

• 批准号: 9704222
• 负责人: James Erskine
• 金额: $ 13.37万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-05-15 至 1999-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9704222&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Development; Instrumentation; Research; Magnetic; Thin

9704222 Erskine This award partially supports the development of unique instrumentation for synthesizing laterally constrained thin film and multilayer magnetic materials and microstructures and for studying novel magnetic phenomena in the structures The new instrument incorporates state-of-the-art thin film growth and characterization capabilities, contact mask and focused ion beam technology capable of creating submicron structures in the films, and complementary high spatial resolution magnetic sensitive spectroscopy/microscopy probes The new instrumentation adds important capabilities to existing research programs of several faculty at The University of Texas which explore thin film magnetism, mesoscopic physics, micromagnetics and magneto-transport phenomena. Scientific issues to be explored based on new capabilities of the instrument include 1) micromagnetic phenomena including properties of magnetic domains in ultrathin films and patterned micron-scale ultrathin film structures; 2) the effects of deliberately induced substrate roughness (atomic steps) and film thickness variations on magnetic domains and related properties including coercive forces and anisotropy of thin films and thin film based microstructures; 3) finite size scaling effects, critical behavior, exchange coupling and dynamical properties of well characterized multilayer and microstructured magnetic systems, and 4) magneto-transport and related magnetic phenomena associated with multilayer films and multilayer- based microstructures. An important feature of the instrument design is the unique combination of materials growth and microstructure fabrication capabilities, materials characterization tools and magnetic sensitive probes which can be used separately or as an integrated system. The instrument consists of three coupled subsystems 1) a thin film growth and characterization chamber incorporating multicell molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with real-time growth monitoring tools inclu ding Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES); Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) including high resolution spot profile analysis capability; 2) a Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect (MOKE) polarimeter set up for high spatial resolution scanning measurements as well as analysis of hysteresis dynamics; and 3) a high resolution Scanning Electron Microscope with Spin Polarization Analysis (SEMPA) instrument. The SEM/SEMPA instrument is configured to accept a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) column to mill microstructures while viewing the process using SEM. The system is integrated with gate valves and air lock chambers permitting the SEMPA/MOKE subsystem or the MOKE/film growth subsystem to be used independently. %%% This instrumentation has the potential to advance the fundamental knowledge and understanding of thin-film magnetic structure. Such structures have great potential for device applications, which can produce breakthroughs in magnetic device technology.

9704222 Erskine该奖项部分支持开发独特的仪器，用于合成横向约束的薄膜和多层磁性材料及微结构，并研究结构中的新颖磁性现象新仪器结合了最先进的薄膜生长和表征能力、接触掩模和聚焦离子束技术，能够在薄膜中创建亚微米结构，并补充了高空间分辨率磁敏光谱/显微探头，新仪器为德克萨斯大学几个教职员工现有的探索薄膜磁性、介观物理、微磁学和磁传输现象的研究项目增添了重要的能力。基于该仪器的新能力将探索的科学问题包括：1)微磁现象，包括超薄膜和图案化微米级超薄膜结构中的磁畴特性；2)故意诱导的衬底粗糙度(原子台阶)和薄膜厚度变化对磁畴和相关特性的影响，包括薄膜和薄膜微结构的矫顽力和各向异性；3)特性良好的多层和微结构磁系统的有限尺寸缩放效应、临界行为、交换耦合和动力学特性；4)多层膜和多层微结构相关的磁输运和相关磁现象。仪器设计的一个重要特点是材料生长和微结构制造能力、材料表征工具和磁敏探头的独特组合，这些工具可以单独使用，也可以作为一个集成系统使用。该仪器由三个耦合的子系统组成：1)薄膜生长和表征室，结合多细胞分子束外延(MBE)和实时生长监测工具，包括反射式高能电子衍射(RHEED)和俄歇电子能谱(AES)；3)低能电子衍射(LEED)，包括高分辨率光斑轮廓分析能力；2)磁光克尔效应(MOKE)偏振仪，用于高空间分辨率扫描测量以及磁滞动力学分析；以及3)高分辨率扫描电子显微镜和自旋极化分析(SEMPA)仪器。扫描电子显微镜/扫描电子显微镜仪器被配置为接受聚焦离子束(FIB)柱来磨削微结构，同时使用扫描电子显微镜观察加工过程。该系统与闸阀和气锁室集成在一起，允许单独使用SEMPA/MOKE子系统或MOKE/薄膜生长子系统。%该仪器有可能促进对薄膜磁结构的基础知识和理解。这种结构在器件应用方面具有巨大的潜力，可以在磁性器件技术方面产生突破。