Investigation of the magnetic properties of insulating thin films using the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect

Journal Article · Wed May 07 04:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4864252· OSTI ID:22273766

Jakob, G.; Kläui, M. ^[1]; Onbasli, M. C.; Kim, D. H.; Ross, C. A. ^[2]

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1. Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, 55099 Mainz (Germany)
2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

The longitudinal spin Seebeck effect is used as a detector for the magnetic properties and switching characteristics of magnetic thin insulating films. We use a 300 nm and a 20 nm thick Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG, Y{sub 3}Fe{sub 5}O{sub 12}) film prepared by pulsed laser deposition and afterwards coated by platinum for the detection of the thermally excited magnons by the inverse spin Hall effect. The inverse spin Hall signals reveal a magnetic uniaxial anisotropy along the direction of the platinum stripe in the thicker film. For the thin film we find a more isotropic behavior, which is complementarily observed using the magnetoresistance occurring at the platinum/YIG interface. We explain our results on the basis of x-ray diffraction data, which reveal a miscut of the substrate and film surface and an expansion of the YIG lattice. Both findings favor a growth-induced magnetic anisotropy that we observe.

• OSTI ID: 22273766
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 17 Vol. 115; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ANISOTROPY
ENERGY BEAM DEPOSITION
FERRITE GARNETS
HALL EFFECT
INTERFACES
LASER RADIATION
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
MAGNETORESISTANCE
MAGNONS
PLATINUM
PULSED IRRADIATION
SEEBECK EFFECT
SPIN
SUBSTRATES
THIN FILMS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
YTTRIUM COMPOUNDS