Previous investigations of FePd circular island arrays have shown the hysteresis-free switching from vortex to collinear magnetic state at high temperatures [1]. This raises interest in the exploration of the temperature and inter-island interaction effect on the magnetization dynamics in this kind of structures. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements allow for the investigation of the magnetization response to time-dependent magnetic field excitations. In this work, the dynamics of a square lattice of circular Fe20Pd80 alloy islands were investigated. The micromagnetic simulations of FMR response were carried out with the parameters similar to those used in the experiments. The experimentally measured FMR absorption spectra were qualitatively reproduced employing micromagnetic simulations. Furthermore, the spatial maps of th estanding spin wave modes were calculated. It was confirmed that the features arising in the FMR absorption spectra are governed by both the temperature and the inter-island interactions.

Studying dynamics of magnetization relaxation in excited magnetic materials is important both for understanding the rates and pathways of magnetization relaxation and for the potential use in spin-based electronics and data storage devices in the future. Previous studies have demonstrated that the size of nanocrystals is an important factor for energy relaxation in quantum dots and metal nanoparticles. Since magnetization relaxation is one of energy relaxation pathways, the size of nanocrystals may be also an important factor for magnetization relaxation in nanoscale magnetic materials. The goal of this study is to have a better understanding of magnetization relaxation in nanoscale magnetic materials. In particular, we focused on the correlation between the nanocrystal size and the rates of spin-lattice relaxation (SLR), a magnetization relaxation pathway, in magnetic nanocrystals. The size-dependent magnetization relaxation rate after optically induced demagnetization in colloidal Fe3O4 nanocrystals was measured by using time-resolved Faraday rotation (FR). Fe3O4 nanocrystals were chosen as the model system to study the correlation between the size of nanocrystals and the rates of SLR due to the wellestablished synthetic procedure of making nanocrystals with various sizes and narrow size dispersion. Faster SLR rates were observed in smaller Fe3O4 nanocrystals. The results suggested the surface of nanocrystals have higher efficiency of SLR than the interior region by using a simple model to analyze the SLR rates of Fe3O4 nanocrystals with various sizes. Higher efficiency of SLR at the surface may be due to the stronger spin-orbit coupling at the surface relative to the interior region. In addition to magnetization dynamics studies, the effect of oxidation on static FR in iron oxide nanocrystals (between Fe3O4 and y-Fe2O3) was studied. The results indicated FR signal is linearly correlated to the strength of optical transition between Fe2 and Fe3 in Fe3O4 for a given size of nanocrystals.

Every engineer that has worked on designing an integrated circuit has to leverage an under- standing of device physics. Understanding device physics is essential when optimizing a design for speed, power, etc. These characteristics affect the bottom line when considering an integrated circuit used in a particular application. In order for there to be an under- standing of device physics, there must be a device model that is developed for a device of interest. The development of a device model often involves utilizing fundamental physical equations in a manner that is solvable by either analytical or numerical means. This typically begins by simplifying fundamental physical equations, possibly spanning multiple domains, and considering the physical quantities of interest. In order to make simplifications, assumptions about the underlying physics must be made. It is the process of transitioning from known physics laws to simplified mathematical models that a device modeler spans. This thesis will cover the device modeling aspects of a new classification of computing devices, spintronics. It will begin by stating the physical assumptions necessary for the operation of spintronic devices. Then it will go the process of deriving the underlying physical equations and stating them in a tractable form with the appropriate boundary conditions. Then these equations will be manipulated and mapped into an equivalent circuit. The equivalent circuits will them be validated against analytical solutions provided from other works. It will then finish by providing example devices that can be simulated with the develop device models, and some optimization results are proposed based off a simplified circuit model.

The magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic materials will depend on the specific shape of the system’s energy landscape. In most systems, the energy landscapes can be approximated as paraboloids, resulting in a typical ellipti- cal precession of the magnetization. However, this model is not always appli- cable to more complex potentials, which can present exotic precessions. The aim of this project was to measure the magnetization dynamics in a system where a non-parabolic potential was expected. From the dynamics, it would then be possible to estimate the energy potential of the system. In order to measure magnetization dynamics, time-resolved MOKE (magneto-optic Kerr effect) measurements were performed using a pump-and-probe tech- nique. A permalloy (Fe20Ni80) thin film with an uniaxial in-plane anisotropy was used as a sample, presumably presenting a bistable energy potential with two close minima at certain applied external magnetic fields. By measuring one component of the magnetization in the plane of the sample, the shape of the precession in this landscape could be extracted. The results show the expected parabolic precessions at higher external fields, from which energy landscapes could be constructed. The dynamics measured at one particular field also indicate a bistable energy potential although no exotic precessions were found.

This dissertation is focused on ferromagnetic, multiferroics, and two-dimensional (2D) perovskites, exploring different unique collective magnetic and ferroic characters: (1) ferromagnetic thin film Co/Pd multilayers, (2) BaTiO3-BiFeO3 (BTO-BFO) a magneto-electric materials system, and (3) CuCl4 halide organic-inorganic perovskites. Low-power all-optical memory offers a unique opportunity to achieve ultra-fast magnetic switching in which the switching dynamics are not thermally mediated and occur on the order of the laser pulse. However, it is challenging to achieve a low-power optically excited magnetization precession angle above 90 degrees, which is required for magnetic switching. Co/Pd thin film multilayers were investigated for their potentially large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) with three differing regimes of magnetic anisotropy: in-plane, weakly out-of-plane, and out-of-plane. Utilizing the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (TR-MOKE), we observed clear magnetic precession (on the order of a few GHz) with magnetic precession angle increasing (up to 4.5 degrees) for thinner Co samples which demonstrated stronger PMA. We observed a clear connection between PMA strength and precession amplitude as well as a large efficiency of energy transfer between spin and orbital subsystems for our strongest PMA sample. BTO-BFO is a strong room-temperature multiferroic with enhanced magneto-electric properties compared to BFO. We utilized time-resolved differential reflectivity (TR-DR) and TR-MOKE to observe strong coherent acoustic phonons in thin films as well as nanorods. Our nanorods showed additional modes (a new 20 GHz and 6 GHz mode) not observed in thin films including the fast 33 GHz mode which showed some weak tunability with high magnetic fields (up to 10 T). The observed tunability of these modes in an external magnetic field shows interesting coupling between magnetic moment and phononic modes which may be caused by the breaking of the spin-cycloid at the interface of the nanorods and the surface of the nanorods. We also observed second harmonic generation (SHG) emission which demonstrated a large enhancement in our nanorod structures with further observation of wavelength dependence. Finally, ferromagnetic resonance on our nanorod and thin film BTO-BFO structures indicated very weak Gilbert damping (on the order of 10−3), demonstrating the practicality of our structure for low-spin loss applications. Lastly, this dissertation focuses on a project around CuCl4 and CuCl2Br2 perovskites in which we observed time-dependent SHG. An increase in SHG as a function of infrared laser exposure is shown to coincide with changes in the crystal structure of the Cu perovskite materials. This increase in SHG was shown to last for a few days after hours of laser exposure indicating a slow hysteretic change to the crystal structure of the perovskites. / Doctor of Philosophy / Multifunctionality in materials is important for various applications including future mem- ory devices where ferromagnetism (collective magnetic order), ferroelectricity (collective electric polarization order), and piezoelectricity (collective strain order) can be implemented in a given device. This dissertation centers on three material systems for exploring ferroic orders: Co/Pd thin multilayers, BaTiO3-BiFeO3 (BTO-BFO) films and nano-rod arrays, and Cu halide organic-inorganic perovskite thin films and 2D structures. Co/Pd thin films demonstrate interesting ferromagnetic order with magnetic anisotropy in which the magnetization of the thin film has a preferred direction based on the thickness of the thin film. BTO-BFO demonstrates coupling between ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic order. The magnetic information may be controlled by applying electric fields or strain and Cu halide perovskites demonstrate potentially created ferroelectric order under long-term laser expo- sure with high ferroelectric switching speeds. Dynamics and nonlinear optical responses in these materials systems were explored with Ti:Sapphire pulsed lasers (∼ 100 fs). Our techniques allowed us for a better understanding of fast carrier and spin dynamics after optical excitation. Furthermore, nonlinear optics, in which two or more photons can be used to emit higher energy photons, were employed to explore the ferroelectric properties within these material systems. The results presented in this dissertation provided information on collective orders and fundamental interactions in several less-explored material systems.

The general theme of the thesis is the interplay between magnetization dynamics and spin transport. The main presentation is divided into three parts. The first part is devoted to deepening our understanding on magnetic damping of ferromagnetic metals, which is one of the long-standing issues in conventional spintronics that has not been completely understood. For a nonuniformly-magnetized ferromagnetic metal, we find that the damping is nonlocal and is enhanced as compared to that in the uniform case. It is therefore necessary to generalize the conventional Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation to include the additional damping. In a different vein, the decay mechanism of the uniform precession mode has been investigated. We point out the important role of spin-conserving electron-magnon interaction in the relaxation process by quantitatively examining its contribution to the ferromagnetic resonance linewidth. In the second part, a transport theory is developed for magnons which, in addition to conduction electrons, can also carry and propagate spin angular momentum via the magnon current. We demonstrate that the mutual conversion of magnon current and spin current may take place at magnetic interfaces. We also predict a novel magnon-mediated electric drag effect in a metal/magnetic-insulator/metal trilayer structure. This study may pave the way to the new area of insulator-based spintronics. In the third part of thesis, particular attention is paid to the influence the spin orbit coupling on both charge and spin transport. We theoretically investigate magnetotransport anisotropy and the conversion relations of spin and charge currents in various magnetic systems, and apply our results to interpret recent experiments.

Ces travaux de thèse rentrent dans le cadre de l’étude de la dynamique ultra rapide de l’aimantation. Tout d’abord sont présentés des aspects théoriques, puis les aspects expérimentaux de ces expériences. Pour ce faire, nous avons étudié la réponse d’alliages ferrimagnétiques à composition variables à l’aide d’un dispositif de mesure d’effet Kerr résolu en temps, puis dans une seconde partie, la dynamique de l’aimantation et de la bande de valence du gadolinium épitaxié sur tungstène. Dans ce cadre rentre une étude de l’oxydation de ce matériau, limitant dans le temps les études approfondies. Pour finir, il est mis l’accent sur un phénomène contraignant lors des études de dynamique électronique en photoémission, l’effet de charge-espace. Ceci a pour effet de générer des photoélectrons à partir de métaux, à l’aide d’un processus multiphotonique. Nous proposons dans cette partie un modèle théorique expliquant ce phénomène.Ces travaux sont inscrits dans le cadre du développement du synchrotron SOLEIL, pour permettre le développement du FEMTOSLICING, qui permettra prochainement de mesurer des dynamiques rapides résolues en éléments, à une résolution de l’ordre de la centaine de femtosecondes. / Those thesis works are included in the framework of the study of ultrafast magnetization dynamics. First of all I introduce theoretical aspects, then experimental aspects of this kind of experiments.In this aim, we have studied the answer of ferromagnetic alloys of different compositions with a bench of time resolved magneto optical Kerr effect measurement, then in a second part, the magnetization and valence band dynamics of the epitaxial Gadolinium on tungsten. In this framework, we studied the oxidization of the Gd, which limits in the time the studies. In the end, we focus on a disturbing process that happens during the study of electrons dynamics in photoemission, the space charge effect. This can generate photoelectrons from metals, with a multiphotonic process. We propose in this last part a theoretical model to explain this phenomenon.These works are included in the development of SOLEIL synchrotron facility, in order to allow the development of the FEMTOSLICING, that will next allow to perform element resolved experiments within a time resolution of a hundredth of femtoseconds.

A study of magnetization dynamics experiments in nanostructured materials using the rf susceptibility tunnel diode oscillator (TDO) method is presented along with a extensive theoretical analysis. An original, computer controlled experimental setup that measures the change in susceptibility with the variation in external magnetic field and sample temperature was constructed. The TDO-based experiment design and construction is explained in detail, showing all the elements of originality. This experimental technique has proven reliable for characterizing samples with uncoupled magnetic structure and various magnetic anisotropies like: CrO2 , FeCo/IrMn and Co/SiO2 thin films. The TDO was subsequently used to explore the magnetization switching in coupled magnetic systems, like synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) structures. Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) is an important example of devices where the use of SAF structure is essential. To support the understanding of the SAF magnetic behavior, its configuration and application are reviewed and more details are provided in an appendix. Current problems in increasing the scalability and decreasing the error rate of MRAM devices are closely connected to the switching properties of the SAF structures. Several theoretical studies that were devoted to the understanding of the concepts of SAF critical curve are reviewed. As one can notice, there was no experimental determination of SAF critical curve, due to the difficulties in characterizing a magnetic coupled structure. Depending of the coupling strength between the two ferromagnetic layers, on the SAF critical curve one distinguishes several new features, inexistent in the case of uncoupled systems. Knowing the configuration of the SAF critical curve is of great importance in order to control its switching characteristics. For the first time a method of experimentally recording the critical curve for SAF is proposed in this work. In order to overcome technological limitations, a new way of recording the critical curve by using an additional magnetic bias field was explored.

We present a time-resolved Kerr microscope, capable of measuring the magnetization dynamics of samples grown on transparent, double-side-polished substrates.The magnetization is excited by a current pulse, using a coplanar waveguide placed beneath the samples. The Kerr rotation is detected with the stroboscopic pump-probe technique, using a probing laser, synchronized with the current pulse.We report benchmark measurements of the time-resolved Kerr instrument for magnetization dynamics in thin permalloy and FePd films. The experimental results for ferromagnetic resonance peaks have been compared with the values predicted by Kittel. / Vi presenterar ett tidsupplöst Kerr-mikroskop, kapabel till att mäta magnetiseringsdynamiken hos magnetiska prov tillverkade på transparenta, dubbelsdigt polerade substrat. Magnetiseringen exiteras med en strömpuls via en koplanär vågguide placerad under provet. Kerr-rotationen detekteras med hjälp av en stroboskopisk ”pump-probe” teknik som använder en ”probing” laser synchroniserad med strömpulsen. Vi rapporterar prestandatest av det tidsupplösta kerr-instrumentet för magnetiseringsdynamiken i tunna permalloy - och FePd - filmer. De experimentella resultaten för de ferromagnetiska resonans-peakarna har jämförts med beräknade värden från Kittel.

The first part of this thesis is an experimental study of the spin-dependent transport in magnetic point contacts. Nano-contacts are produced micromechanically, by bringing a sharpened non-magnetic (N) tip into contact with a ferromagnetic (F) film. The magnetic and magneto-transport properties of such N/F nanocontacts are studied using transport spectroscopy, spanning the ballistic, diffusive, and thermal transport regimes. Single N/F interfaces can exhibit current driven magnetic excitations, which are often manifest as peaks in the differential resistance of a point contact defining the N/F interface. Our experiments show that such surface magnetization excitations, and thus the single-interface spin torques, are observed for diffusive and thermal transport regimes where the conduction electrons experience strong scattering near the N/F interface, and are absent for purely ballistic contacts. We conclude that the single-interface spin torque effect is due to impurity scattering at N/F interfaces. Single N/F interfaces can also exhibit hysteretic conductivity, which is qualitatively similar to the spin-valve effect found in F/N/F trilayers. Based on our measurements of N/F point contacts in the size range of 1-30 nm, we propose two mechanisms of the observed hysteresis. The first mechanism relies on a non-uniform spin distribution near the contact core and is magnetoelastic in origin. This interpretation is in good agreement with some of our experiments on larger point contacts as well as with a numerical micromagnetic model we have developed, where a stress-induced anisotropy creates a non-uniform, domain-wall-like spin distribution in the contact core. The second mechanism we propose is a surface effect which relies on a difference between the surface and interior spins in the ferromagnet in terms of their exchange and anisotropy properties. The surface spin-valve mechanism is in good agreement with the hysteretic magnetoresistance observed for our smallest contacts (~1 nm) and for contacts to nanometer thin ferromagnetic films. This interpretation means that the surface magnetization can be reduced and weakly coupled to the interior spins in the ferromagnet. We find that this surface spin layer can be affected by both external fields and the spin torque of a transport current. The surface magnetization can even form nano-sized spin vorticies at the interface. The nature of the magnetic excitations induced by by nominally unpolarized currents through single N/F interfaces was probed directly using microwave irradiation. We observed two characteristic high-frequency effects: a resonant stimulation of spin-wave modes by microwaves, and a rectification of off-resonant microwave currents by spin-wave nonlinearities in the point contact conductance. These experiments demonstrate that the effects observed are spin-dynamic in nature. In the second part of the thesis we study the spin-dynamics in spin-flop tunnel junctions used in toggle magnetic random access memory. Current pulses in the range of 100 ps used to excite the magnetic moments of the two coupled Py free layers into an oscillatory state, in both the antiparallel and scissor states of the cell. These oscillations are detected directly by measuring the junction resistance in real time with a 6 GHz measurement bandwidth. The junctions had the shape of an ellipse, with lateral size ranging from 350x420 to 400x560 nm. The optical and acoustical precession modes of the the spin-flop trilayer are observed in experiment, as expected from single-domain model. The experimental spectra contain additional features, which are explained using numerical micromagnetic simulations, as originating from magnetic state transitions between different magnetization states with non-uniform spin distributions. / QC 20100818