Polarized neutron reflectometry of rare-earth nitride thin films
Loading...
Date
2012-02-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Australian Institute of Physics
Abstract
Rare-earth monopnictides like HoN, DyN, or ErN are semiconductors with typical band gaps
between 0.73 and 1.3eV. The fact that they exhibit ferromagnetic ordering at low
temperatures makes them possible candidates for an intrinsically ferromagnetic
semiconductor [1]. Thin, polycrystalline rare-earth nitride films of 15 – 40nm thickness were
grown onto c-plane sapphire substrates using low-energy ion assisted deposition. A
temperature- and field-dependent polarized neutron reflectometry study in combination with
SQUID magnetometry was carried out to characterize the magnetic properties of these films
in a depth resolved way. The investigated samples show a homogeneous distribution of the
magnetic moment throughout the film with ferromagnetic ordering temperatures comparable
to the bulk materials. ErN and HoN films do not show an opening of the magnetic hysteresis
loop even for the lowest measured temperature of T=2K. DyN on the other hand clearly
shows a coercive field and remnant magnetization at 5K.
Description
Keywords
Polarization, Rare earths, Superconductors, Ferromagnetic materials, Temperature range 0065-0273 K, Films, Nitrides
Citation
Brück, S., Cortie, D., Brown, J., Saerbeck, T., Ulrich, C., Klose, F., & Downes, J. (2012). Polarized neutron reflectometry of rare-earth nitride thin films. Poster presented to the 36th Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Meeting, Wagga 2012, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 31st January – 3rd February, 2012. Retrieved from: https://physics.org.au/wp-content/uploads/cmm/2012/