Epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin-film PdFe/VN and VN/PdFe bilayers on MgO(001) substrates
Single-layer vanadium nitride (VN) and bilayer Pd0.96Fe0.04/VN and VN/Pd0.92Fe0.08 thin-film heterostructures for possible spintronics applications were synthesized on (001)-oriented single-crystalline magnesium oxide (MgO) substrates utilizing a four-chamber ultrahigh vacuum deposition and analysis...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Beilstein-Institut
2020-05-01
|
Series: | Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.11.65 |
_version_ | 1818512659338756096 |
---|---|
author | Wael M. Mohammed Igor V. Yanilkin Amir I. Gumarov Airat G. Kiiamov Roman V. Yusupov Lenar R. Tagirov |
author_facet | Wael M. Mohammed Igor V. Yanilkin Amir I. Gumarov Airat G. Kiiamov Roman V. Yusupov Lenar R. Tagirov |
author_sort | Wael M. Mohammed |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Single-layer vanadium nitride (VN) and bilayer Pd0.96Fe0.04/VN and VN/Pd0.92Fe0.08 thin-film heterostructures for possible spintronics applications were synthesized on (001)-oriented single-crystalline magnesium oxide (MgO) substrates utilizing a four-chamber ultrahigh vacuum deposition and analysis system. The VN layers were reactively magnetron sputtered from a metallic vanadium target in Ar/N2 plasma, while the Pd1−xFex layers were deposited by co-evaporation of metallic Pd and Fe pellets from calibrated effusion cells in a molecular beam epitaxy chamber. The VN stoichiometry and Pd1−xFex composition were controlled by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In situ low-energy electron diffraction and ex situ X-ray diffraction show that the 30 nm thick single-layer VN as well as the double-layer VN(30 nm)/Pd0.92Fe0.08(12 nm) and Pd0.96Fe0.04(20 nm)/VN(30 nm) structures have grown cube-on-cube epitaxially. Electric resistance measurements demonstrate a metallic-type temperature dependence for the VN film with a small residual resistivity of 9 μΩ·cm at 10 K, indicating high purity and structural quality of the film. The transition to the superconducting state was observed at 7.7 K for the VN film, at 7.2 K for the Pd0.96Fe0.04/VN structure and at 6.1 K for the VN/Pd0.92Fe0.08 structure with the critical temperature decreasing due to the proximity effect. Contrary to expectations, all transitions were very sharp with the width ranging from 25 mK for the VN film to 50 mK for the VN/Pd0.92Fe0.08 structure. We propose epitaxial single-crystalline thin films of VN and heteroepitaxial Pd1−xFex/VN and VN/Pd1−xFex (x ≤ 0.08) structures grown on MgO(001) as the materials of a choice for the improvement of superconducting magnetic random access memory characteristics. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-10T23:49:58Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-46f8cb2cb83d4cb48b09c3f31e862ae8 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2190-4286 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-10T23:49:58Z |
publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
publisher | Beilstein-Institut |
record_format | Article |
series | Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology |
spelling | doaj.art-46f8cb2cb83d4cb48b09c3f31e862ae82022-12-22T01:28:49ZengBeilstein-InstitutBeilstein Journal of Nanotechnology2190-42862020-05-0111180781310.3762/bjnano.11.652190-4286-11-65Epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin-film PdFe/VN and VN/PdFe bilayers on MgO(001) substratesWael M. Mohammed0Igor V. Yanilkin1Amir I. Gumarov2Airat G. Kiiamov3Roman V. Yusupov4Lenar R. Tagirov5Kazan Federal University, Kremlyovskaya str. 18, 420008 Kazan, RussiaKazan Federal University, Kremlyovskaya str. 18, 420008 Kazan, RussiaKazan Federal University, Kremlyovskaya str. 18, 420008 Kazan, RussiaKazan Federal University, Kremlyovskaya str. 18, 420008 Kazan, RussiaKazan Federal University, Kremlyovskaya str. 18, 420008 Kazan, RussiaKazan Federal University, Kremlyovskaya str. 18, 420008 Kazan, RussiaSingle-layer vanadium nitride (VN) and bilayer Pd0.96Fe0.04/VN and VN/Pd0.92Fe0.08 thin-film heterostructures for possible spintronics applications were synthesized on (001)-oriented single-crystalline magnesium oxide (MgO) substrates utilizing a four-chamber ultrahigh vacuum deposition and analysis system. The VN layers were reactively magnetron sputtered from a metallic vanadium target in Ar/N2 plasma, while the Pd1−xFex layers were deposited by co-evaporation of metallic Pd and Fe pellets from calibrated effusion cells in a molecular beam epitaxy chamber. The VN stoichiometry and Pd1−xFex composition were controlled by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In situ low-energy electron diffraction and ex situ X-ray diffraction show that the 30 nm thick single-layer VN as well as the double-layer VN(30 nm)/Pd0.92Fe0.08(12 nm) and Pd0.96Fe0.04(20 nm)/VN(30 nm) structures have grown cube-on-cube epitaxially. Electric resistance measurements demonstrate a metallic-type temperature dependence for the VN film with a small residual resistivity of 9 μΩ·cm at 10 K, indicating high purity and structural quality of the film. The transition to the superconducting state was observed at 7.7 K for the VN film, at 7.2 K for the Pd0.96Fe0.04/VN structure and at 6.1 K for the VN/Pd0.92Fe0.08 structure with the critical temperature decreasing due to the proximity effect. Contrary to expectations, all transitions were very sharp with the width ranging from 25 mK for the VN film to 50 mK for the VN/Pd0.92Fe0.08 structure. We propose epitaxial single-crystalline thin films of VN and heteroepitaxial Pd1−xFex/VN and VN/Pd1−xFex (x ≤ 0.08) structures grown on MgO(001) as the materials of a choice for the improvement of superconducting magnetic random access memory characteristics.https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.11.65epitaxial growthepitaxial superconductor–ferromagnet heterostructurepalladium–iron alloy (pdfe)vanadium nitride (vn)superconducting spintronics |
spellingShingle | Wael M. Mohammed Igor V. Yanilkin Amir I. Gumarov Airat G. Kiiamov Roman V. Yusupov Lenar R. Tagirov Epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin-film PdFe/VN and VN/PdFe bilayers on MgO(001) substrates Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology epitaxial growth epitaxial superconductor–ferromagnet heterostructure palladium–iron alloy (pdfe) vanadium nitride (vn) superconducting spintronics |
title | Epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin-film PdFe/VN and VN/PdFe bilayers on MgO(001) substrates |
title_full | Epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin-film PdFe/VN and VN/PdFe bilayers on MgO(001) substrates |
title_fullStr | Epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin-film PdFe/VN and VN/PdFe bilayers on MgO(001) substrates |
title_full_unstemmed | Epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin-film PdFe/VN and VN/PdFe bilayers on MgO(001) substrates |
title_short | Epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin-film PdFe/VN and VN/PdFe bilayers on MgO(001) substrates |
title_sort | epitaxial growth and superconducting properties of thin film pdfe vn and vn pdfe bilayers on mgo 001 substrates |
topic | epitaxial growth epitaxial superconductor–ferromagnet heterostructure palladium–iron alloy (pdfe) vanadium nitride (vn) superconducting spintronics |
url | https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.11.65 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT waelmmohammed epitaxialgrowthandsuperconductingpropertiesofthinfilmpdfevnandvnpdfebilayersonmgo001substrates AT igorvyanilkin epitaxialgrowthandsuperconductingpropertiesofthinfilmpdfevnandvnpdfebilayersonmgo001substrates AT amirigumarov epitaxialgrowthandsuperconductingpropertiesofthinfilmpdfevnandvnpdfebilayersonmgo001substrates AT airatgkiiamov epitaxialgrowthandsuperconductingpropertiesofthinfilmpdfevnandvnpdfebilayersonmgo001substrates AT romanvyusupov epitaxialgrowthandsuperconductingpropertiesofthinfilmpdfevnandvnpdfebilayersonmgo001substrates AT lenarrtagirov epitaxialgrowthandsuperconductingpropertiesofthinfilmpdfevnandvnpdfebilayersonmgo001substrates |