CAREER: Magnetic Thin Films and Devices

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Romel GomezECS-9984797 A comprehensive research and educational initiative on the properties of magnetic thin film structures and novel devices is proposed. The research goals are to understand the mechanisms that govern the magnetic and electrical characteristics of thin films with reduced dimensionality, and to exploit novel phenomena to design devices in the areas of ultra high density data storage, spin-dependent electronics, MEMS, and quantum computation. The research activities are specifically directed towards:a) establishing the correlation between surface morphology, micromagnetics and transport properties of thin-film multilayers,b) understanding the reversal mechanisms of nanostructured ferromagnetic islands, c) developing novel spin-dependent magnetic tunnel junctions with voltage controllable exchange interactions and multi-layer spin-valves using half-metallic manganite oxide electrodes.These efforts will utilize the existing technical expertise and experimental capabilities in surface science, molecular beam epitaxy, scanned probe microscopy, magnetic imaging, and device fabrication. Our projects are leveraged with our established collaborations with several academic institutions worldwide, national laboratories in the United States as well as the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the University of Maryland. This project will also provide educational opportunities to train highly skilled professionals in the area of magnetic technology; as well as to provide pedagogical tools for magnetism in the undergraduate and pre-college educational levels. A specific project involves the production of animation videos, derived from experiments, that "show" the dynamics of magnetism at the microscopic level. These will be disseminated electronically via the internet to reach a broad audience; thereby enhancing the understanding of magnetism and enthusiasm with science and technology.