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...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wael M. Mohammed, Igor V. Yanilkin, Amir I. Gumarov, Airat G. Kiiamov, Roman V. Yusupov, Lenar R. Tagirov
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