Tailoring Exchange Interactions in Complex Oxide Heterostructures

非技术描述：许多当前的商业产品，例如用于磁性随机存取存储器和磁性硬盘驱动器的巨磁阻传感器，是基于多种材料之间的磁力的相互作用。更好地理解这些相互作用也可能允许未来的自旋电子器件的发展。该项目探索复杂氧化物结构中发现的独特界面现象，以设计具有定制磁性的人工分层材料。外展活动包括支持加州大学戴维斯分校社区学院科学、技术、工程和数学转学日，该日针对北方加州数学工程科学成就项目中教育弱势和代表性不足的群体。该项目的一个平行和同样重要的影响是在材料科学与工程，物理学和电气工程的传统学科交叉领域的年轻科学家和工程师的培训。毕业生通常在信息技术部门找到工作。技术详细信息：这个项目的目标是发展对复杂氧化物异质结构中界面现象的基本理解，以设计具有定制磁性能的人工层状材料。这些材料在下一代自旋电子和轨道电子器件中的结合具有显著提高器件速度和能源效率的潜力，这可能会改变信息存储和技术部门。这项工作利用激光辅助生长来控制界面特性与原子层精度相结合的复杂技术来表征其结构，化学和功能特性在多个长度尺度。此外，几何约束效应，因为这些材料被图案化到纳米尺度进行了研究。这些结果使得在与设备应用相关的尺寸上的紧急界面特性的预测模型的开发成为可能。其他教育活动包括对本科生和研究生进行最先进工具的培训，包括美国国家实验室的同步辐射和基于中子散射的表征技术。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Many current commercial products such as giant magnetoresistive sensors that are used in magnetic random-access memory and magnetic hard drives are based on the interactions of magnetic forces between multiple materials. A better understanding of these interactions may also allow for the development of future spintronic devices. This project explores the unique interfacial phenomena found in complex oxide structures in order to design artificially-layered materials with tailored magnetic properties. Outreach activities include supporting the University of California at Davis Community College Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Transfer Day which targets educationally disadvantaged and underrepresented groups from Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement programs across Northern California. A parallel and equally important impact of this project is the training of young scientists and engineers in a field that lies at the intersection of traditional disciplines of Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, and Electrical Engineering. Graduates typically find employment in the information technology sector. TECHNICAL DETAILS: This goal of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of interfacial phenomena in complex oxide heterostructures to design artificially-layered material with tailored magnetic properties. The incorporation of these materials in next generation spintronic and orbitronic devices has the potential for significant improvements in device speed and energy efficiency, which may transform the information storage and technology sectors. This work utilizes laser-assisted growth to control interfacial properties with atomic layer precision in combination with sophisticated techniques for characterizing their structural, chemical, and functional properties over multiple length scales. In addition, geometric confinement effects as these materials are patterned to nanoscale dimensions are investigated. These results enable the development of predictive models of the emergent interfacial properties at dimensions relevant for device applications. Additional education activities include the training of undergraduate and graduate students in state-of-the-art tools, including synchrotron radiation and neutron scattering-based characterization techniques at U.S. national laboratories.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.