No description available.

No description available.

Three-dimensional topological insulators (TIs) are a class of materials for which the bulk is insulating, while the surface is necessarily metallic. A band inversion that occurs in the presence of spin-orbit coupling, and conduction and valence bands with opposite parities are necessary conditions for the existence of this class of materials. The metallicity of the surface states appears as a consequence of the topology of the bulk and these states are characterized by massless Dirac dispersions and helical spin polarization that protect the surface states against backscattering. The robustness of the topological surface states further implies that they are not destroyed by non-magnetic impurities or defects. Since their initial conception, a vast amount of theoretical studies have predicted very interesting features stemming from the topological surface states. An example of that can be found when breaking the time-reversal symmetry by introducing magnetic order in the system, which can lead to exotic phenomena such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect. The properties exhibited by these systems are expected to be of high importance both in fundamental research as well as in technological applications. However, the major difficulty remains the access to purely topological surface states. The remaining bulk conductivity of the TIs such as Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3 or Sb2Te3 still hinders the experimental realization of some of the predicted phenomena. This highlights the need of high-quality bulk-insulating materials with ultra-clean surfaces and interfaces, which can only be achieved with delicate sample preparation and characterization methods. The present work is part of the effort to fabricate high-quality TI films in a controlled manner. This shall then allow more complex investigations, such as interface effects and possibilities to engineer the band structure of the TIs. The former will be explored mainly in the form of heterostructures of Bi2Te3 and magnetic insulating layers, whereas the latter will focus on the fabrication of Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3 heterostructures. Most of the important properties of the samples are measured under ultra-high vacuum conditions, ensuring reliable results. Furthermore, in situ capping with ordered Te also allows for more sophisticated ex situ experiments. In a first step, the optimization of Bi2Te3 thin films grown on Al2O3 (0001) substrates was explored. Spectroscopic and structural characterization measurements showed that it is possible to obtain consistently bulk-insulating TI films with good structural quality, despite the lattice mismatch between Bi2Te3 and Al2O3 (0001). Magnetoconductance measurements showed a prominent weak anti-localization effect, confirming the existence of two-dimensional surface states. In order to explore the consequences of breaking the time-reversal symmetry characteristic of TIs, Bi2Te3 was interfaced with several ferro- or ferrimagnetic insulating (FI) layers in heterostructures. EuO, Fe3O4, Y3Fe5O12 and Tm3Fe5O12 were chosen as possible candidates. Systematic optimization and characterization studies showed that interfaces of Bi2Te3 and EuO, as well as Fe3O4 on top of Bi2Te3, yield poor quality samples with significant chemical reactions between the layers. Nevertheless, high-quality Bi2Te3 could be grown on Fe3O4 (001), Fe3O4 (111), Y3Fe5O12 (111) and Tm3Fe5O12 (111). Clean interfaces and intact top topological surface states were confirmed by photoemission spectroscopy. Moreover, transport signatures of a gap opening in the topological surface states were found, namely a suppression of the weak anti-localization effect and the observation of the anomalous Hall effect. However, x-ray circular magnetic dichroism (XMCD) was not observed for any of the heterostructures. A key conclusion from this study is that the ferromagnetism induced by the magnetic proximity effect is too weak to be detected by XMCD. On hindsight, one can infer that the magnetic proximity effect cannot be strong since the bonding between the TI and the magnetic insulator substrate is of the van der Waals type, and not covalent like in transition metal oxides or metallic heterostructures. It is known that a charge compensation between electron- and hole-doping can be achieved when combining Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3, which can also tune the position of the Dirac point. With this goal in mind, the fabrication of ternary (Bi(x)Sb(1−x))2Te3 compounds and Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3 heterostructures was explored in the next step. Although pure Sb2Te3 and (Bi(x)Sb(1−x))2Te3 did not yield good quality samples, the fabrication of Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3 heterostructures emerged as a promising alternative route. Photoelectron spectroscopy allowed not only to identify the crucial role of the first few Sb2Te3 top layers, which modulate the topological surface states, but also to characterize the intermixing of the TI layers at the interface. In a final study, Fe(1+y)Te thin films were grown on MgO (001) substrates employing a Te-limited growth method. This allowed to obtain nominally stoichiometric films, as evidenced by reflection high-energy electron diffraction, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, XMCD and x-ray diffraction measurements. This preliminary study opens the way for the investigation of TI/superconductor interfaces and to delve into the topological superconductivity arising from the proximity effect.

The work presented in this thesis encompasses the design, development, realization and testing of novel magnetoelectric thin film elements that do not rely on ferromagnets, but are based entirely on magnetoelectric antiferromagnets such as Cr2O3. Thin film spintronic elements, and in particular magnetoelectric transducers, are crucial building blocks of high efficiency data processing schemes that could complement conventional electronic data processing in the future. Recent developments in magnetoelectrics have revealed, that exchange biased systems are ill-suited to electric field induced switching of magnetization due to the strong coupling of their ferromagnetic layer to magnetic fields. Therefore, ferromagnet-free magnetoelectric elements are proposed here in an effort to mitigate the practical problems associated with existing exchange biased magnetoelectric elements. This goal is achieved by establishing an all-electric read-out method for the antiferromagnetic order parameter of thin films, which allows to omit the ferromagnet from conventional exchange biased magnetoelectric elements. The resulting ferromagnet-free magnetoelectric elements show greatly reduced writing thresholds, enabled operation at room temperature and do not require a pulsed magnetic field, all of which is in contrast to state-of-the-art exchange biased magnetoelectric systems. The novel all-electric read-out method of the magnetic field-invariant magnetization of antiferromagnets, so-called spinning-current anomalous Hall magnetometry, can be widely employed in other areas of thin film magnetism. Its high precision and its sensitivity to previously invisible phenomena make it a promising tool for various aspects of thin solid films. Based on this technique, a deep understanding could be generated as to what physical mechanisms drive the antiferromagnetic ordering in thin films of magnetoelectric antiferromagnets. As spinning-current anomalous Hall magnetometry is an integral probe of the magnetic properties in thin films, it offers no intrinsic scale sensitivity. In order to harness its great precision for scale related information, a statistical framework was developed, which links macroscopic measurements with microscopic properties such as the antiferromagnetic domain size.

The work presented in this thesis encompasses the design, development, realization and testing of novel magnetoelectric thin film elements that do not rely on ferromagnets, but are based entirely on magnetoelectric antiferromagnets such as Cr2O3. Thin film spintronic elements, and in particular magnetoelectric transducers, are crucial building blocks of high efficiency data processing schemes that could complement conventional electronic data processing in the future. Recent developments in magnetoelectrics have revealed, that exchange biased systems are ill-suited to electric field induced switching of magnetization due to the strong coupling of their ferromagnetic layer to magnetic fields. Therefore, ferromagnet-free magnetoelectric elements are proposed here in an effort to mitigate the practical problems associated with existing exchange biased magnetoelectric elements. This goal is achieved by establishing an all-electric read-out method for the antiferromagnetic order parameter of thin films, which allows to omit the ferromagnet from conventional exchange biased magnetoelectric elements. The resulting ferromagnet-free magnetoelectric elements show greatly reduced writing thresholds, enabled operation at room temperature and do not require a pulsed magnetic field, all of which is in contrast to state-of-the-art exchange biased magnetoelectric systems. The novel all-electric read-out method of the magnetic field-invariant magnetization of antiferromagnets, so-called spinning-current anomalous Hall magnetometry, can be widely employed in other areas of thin film magnetism. Its high precision and its sensitivity to previously invisible phenomena make it a promising tool for various aspects of thin solid films. Based on this technique, a deep understanding could be generated as to what physical mechanisms drive the antiferromagnetic ordering in thin films of magnetoelectric antiferromagnets. As spinning-current anomalous Hall magnetometry is an integral probe of the magnetic properties in thin films, it offers no intrinsic scale sensitivity. In order to harness its great precision for scale related information, a statistical framework was developed, which links macroscopic measurements with microscopic properties such as the antiferromagnetic domain size.:TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations 9 1 Introduction 11 1.1 Motivation 11 1.2 Objectives 12 1.3 Organization of the thesis 13 2 Background 15 2.1 History of magnetoelectric coupling 15 2.2 Long range magnetic ordering 16 2.2.1 Magnetic order parameter and field susceptibility 17 2.2.2 Magnetic proximity effect 19 2.2.3 Exchange bias 20 2.3 Phenomenology of magnetoelectric coupling 21 2.3.1 The linear magnetoelectric effect 21 2.3.2 Magnetoelectric pressure on the antiferromagnetic order parameter 22 2.3.3 Switching the antiferromagnetic order parameter 23 2.4 Realized magnetoelectric thin film elements 24 2.4.1 BiFeO3/CoFe system 24 2.4.2 Cr2O3/Co/Pt system 25 3 Experimental methods 27 3.1 Development of ferromagnet free magnetoelectric elements 28 3.1.1 The substrate 29 3.1.2 The Cr2O3 bulk and top surface 31 3.1.3 The V2O3 or Pt bottom electrodes 33 3.1.4 Epitaxial relationships 34 3.1.5 The Cr2O3 bottom interface 39 3.1.6 Twinning of Cr2O3 39 3.1.7 Hall crosses and patterning processes 43 3.2 Magnetotransport measurements 44 3.2.1 Hall effects 45 3.2.2 Anomalous Hall effect 46 3.2.3 Magnetoelectric writing 47 3.2.4 All electric read out 49 3.3 The experimental setup 50 3.3.1 Temperature control 50 3.3.2 Magnetic field control 51 4 Spinning-current anomalous Hall magnetometry 53 4.1 Characteristics of the technique 53 4.1.1 Operational principle 53 4.1.2 Advantages 55 4.1.3 Magnetic hysteresis loops and field-invariant magnetization 55 4.1.4 Measurement of field-invariant magnetization 56 4.1.5 Limitations 58 4.2 Application of SCAHM to Cr2O3(0001) thin films 59 4.2.1 Criticality and distribution of the antiferromagnetic phase transition 61 4.2.2 Evaluation of the magnetic proximity effect 64 4.3 SCAHM with thin metallic antiferromagnetic IrMn films 65 4.3.1 [Pt/Co]4/IrMn exchange bias system 65 4.3.2 Isolated antiferromagnetic IrMn thin films 67 5 Magnetoelectric performance 69 5.1 Magnetoelectric field cooling 69 5.2 The gate bias voltage 71 5.3 Isothermal binary magnetoelectric writing in Cr2O3 72 6 Order parameter selection in magnetoelectric antiferromagnets 77 6.1 Uncompensated magnetic moment 77 6.2 Extrinsic causes for broken sublattice equivalence 81 6.3 The V2O3 gate electrode 83 7 Measurement of microscopic properties with an integral probe 87 7.1 Interentity magnetic exchange coupling 87 7.2 Ensemble formalism for the entity size determination 90 7.3 Estimation of the entity sizes 94 7.4 Microscopic confirmation of the ensemble model 97 8 Summary and Outlook 101 8.1 Goal-related achievements 101 8.1.1 All-electric read-out of the AF order parameter 101 8.1.2 Electric field induced writing of the AF order parameter 102 8.2 Further achievements 103 8.2.1 Foreseen impact of SCAHM on thin film magnetism 103 8.2.2 Practical optimization routes of magnetoelectric Cr2O3 systems 104 8.2.3 Theoretical work 105 8.3 Future directions 105 8.3.1 Development of Cr2O3-based magnetoelectric systems 105 8.3.2 Applications of SCAHM 106 References 107 Erklärung 113 Acknowledgements 115 Curriculum Vitae 117 Scientific publications, contributions, patents 119