Les applications d’électronique de spin telles les mémoires à accès aléatoire (MRAM), les capteurs (e.g.les têtes de lecture des disques durs d’ordinateurs) et les éléments de logique magnétique utilisent les interactionsd’échange ferromagnétique/antiferromagnétique (F/AF) dans le but de définir une direction de référence pour lespin des électrons de conduction. Les MRAM à écriture assistée thermiquement (TA-MRAM) utilisent mêmedeux bicouches F/AF : une pour le stockage de l’information et l’autre comme référence. Ces dernièresapplications technologiques impliquent des étapes de nanofabrication des couches minces continues pour formerune matrice de cellules mémoires individuelles. La qualification industrielle du produit final impose de sérieusescontraintes sur la largeur des distributions des propriétés magnétiques - y compris d’échange F/AF - de cellulemémoire à cellule mémoire. Des phases verres de spin réparties de manière aléatoire sur la couche continue, àl’interface F/AF ou dans le coeur de l’AF pourraient contribuer de manière significative à ces distributionsd’échange F/AF dans les dispositifs, après nanofabrication ; comme supposé il y a de cela quelques années. Lebut de cette thèse est d’étudier factuellement le possible lien entre verre de spin répartis dans des couches mincesF/AF et dispersions de propriétés d’échange de cellule mémoire à cellule mémoire dans les dispositifs TAMRAMcorrespondants. Avant cela, l’origine de ces régions verre de spin a été étudiée et une attention plusparticulière a été portée au rôle joué par les diffusions de Mn. Ces dernières ont été directement observées,comprises et l’utilisation de barrières complexes pour les réduire et par là même pour diminuer la quantité dephases verre de spin a été mise en oeuvre avec succès. En guise d’alternative pour varier la quantité de verres despin, l’utilisation d’AFs composites a été également étudiée dans le cadre de cette thèse. Ce type d’AF permet dumême coup de varier la stabilité thermique des grains AF et de répondre à un autre problème identifié pour lesTA-MRAM qui consiste à trouver des matériaux AF avec des propriétés de rétention et d’écriture intermédiairespar rapport aux matériaux actuellement utilisés. Finalement, ces AFs composites ont été utilisés comme moyende varier la quantité de verres de spin dans des dispositifs TA-MRAM réels et de prouver le lien direct avec ladispersion de propriétés de cellule mémoire à cellule mémoire. / Spintronics applications such as magnetic random access memories (MRAM), sensors (e.g.. hard diskdrive read head) and logic devices use ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (F/AF) exchange bias (EB) interactionsto set the reference direction required for the spin of conduction electrons. Thermally-assisted (TA-) MRAMapplications even use two F/AF exchange biased bilayers: one for reference and one for storage. Suchtechnological applications involve patterning full sheet wafers into matrix of individual bit-cells. Industrialproducts qualification imposes stringent requirements on the distributions of the magnetic properties from cell tocell, including those related to EB. It was supposed few years ago that randomly spread spin-glass like phases atthe F/AF interface or within the bulk of the AF layer significantly contribute to the distributions of EB propertiesin devices after processing. This thesis aimed at factually studying the link between spin-glasses spread overF/AF thin films and bit-cell dispersions of EB in corresponding TA-MRAM. Prior to that the origin of the spinglasslike regions and more specifically the role of Mn-diffusion was consolidated. Mn-diffusion was directlyobserved, understood and the use of complex barriers to reduce such diffusion and consequently to minimize theamount of spin-glass was successfully studied. Mixing AFs as another way to tune the amount of spin-glass likephases was also evidenced in the framework of this thesis. All at once, this last solution also tuned the AF grainsthermal stability and this solved another issue related to TA-MRAM, i.e. finding AF-materials with intermediateretention and write properties compared to the AFs presently used. Finally, those mixed antiferromagnets werethe mean chosen to tune the amount of spin-glass like phases in real TA-MRAM devices and to factually provetheir link with bit-cell distributions of EB properties.

Engineering new solid propellant materials requires optimization of several factors, to include energy density, burn rate, sensitivity, and environmental impact. Equally important is the need for materials that will maintain their mechanical properties and thermal stability during long periods of storage. The nanoscale materials considered in this dissertation are proposed metal additives that may enhance energy density and improve combustion in a composite rocket motor. Density Functional Theory methods are used to determine cluster geometries, bond strengths, and energy densities. The ground-state geometries and electron affinities (EAs) for MnxO?: x = 3, 4, y = 1, 2 clusters were calculated with GGA, and estimates for the vertical detachment energies compare well with experimental results. It was found that the presence of oxygen influences the overall cluster moment and spin configuration, stabilizing ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic isomers. The calculated EAs range from 1.29-1.84 eV, which is considerably lower than the 3.0-5.0 eV EAs characteristic of current propellant oxidizers. Their use as solid propellant additives is limited. The structures and bonding of a range of Al-cyclopentadienyl cluster compounds were studied with multilayer quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM:MM) methods. The organometallic Al-ligand bonds are generally 55-85 kcal/mol and are much stronger than Al-Al interactions. This suggests that thermal decomposition in these clusters will proceed via the loss of surface metal-ligand units. The energy density of the large clusters is calculated to be nearly 60% that of pure aluminum. These organometallic cluster systems may provide a route to extremely rapid Al combustion in solid rocket motors. Lastly, the properties of COOH-terminated passivating agents were modeled with the GPW method. It is confirmed that fluorinated polymers bind to both Al(111) and Al(100) at two Al surface sites. The oligomers HCOOH, CH3CH2COOH, and CF3CF2COOH chemisorb onto Al(111) with adsorption energies of 10-45 kcal/mol. The preferred contact angle for the organic chains is 65-85 degrees, and adsorption energy weakens slightly with increasing chain length. Despite their relatively weak adsorption energies, fluorinated polymers have elevated melting temperatures, making them good passivation materials for micron-scale Al fuel particles.

Les applications d’électronique de spin telles les mémoires à accès aléatoire (MRAM), les capteurs (e.g.les têtes de lecture des disques durs d’ordinateurs) et les éléments de logique magnétique utilisent les interactionsd’échange ferromagnétique/antiferromagnétique (F/AF) dans le but de définir une direction de référence pour lespin des électrons de conduction. Les MRAM à écriture assistée thermiquement (TA-MRAM) utilisent mêmedeux bicouches F/AF : une pour le stockage de l’information et l’autre comme référence. Ces dernièresapplications technologiques impliquent des étapes de nanofabrication des couches minces continues pour formerune matrice de cellules mémoires individuelles. La qualification industrielle du produit final impose de sérieusescontraintes sur la largeur des distributions des propriétés magnétiques - y compris d’échange F/AF - de cellulemémoire à cellule mémoire. Des phases verres de spin réparties de manière aléatoire sur la couche continue, àl’interface F/AF ou dans le coeur de l’AF pourraient contribuer de manière significative à ces distributionsd’échange F/AF dans les dispositifs, après nanofabrication ; comme supposé il y a de cela quelques années. Lebut de cette thèse est d’étudier factuellement le possible lien entre verre de spin répartis dans des couches mincesF/AF et dispersions de propriétés d’échange de cellule mémoire à cellule mémoire dans les dispositifs TAMRAMcorrespondants. Avant cela, l’origine de ces régions verre de spin a été étudiée et une attention plusparticulière a été portée au rôle joué par les diffusions de Mn. Ces dernières ont été directement observées,comprises et l’utilisation de barrières complexes pour les réduire et par là même pour diminuer la quantité dephases verre de spin a été mise en oeuvre avec succès. En guise d’alternative pour varier la quantité de verres despin, l’utilisation d’AFs composites a été également étudiée dans le cadre de cette thèse. Ce type d’AF permet dumême coup de varier la stabilité thermique des grains AF et de répondre à un autre problème identifié pour lesTA-MRAM qui consiste à trouver des matériaux AF avec des propriétés de rétention et d’écriture intermédiairespar rapport aux matériaux actuellement utilisés. Finalement, ces AFs composites ont été utilisés comme moyende varier la quantité de verres de spin dans des dispositifs TA-MRAM réels et de prouver le lien direct avec ladispersion de propriétés de cellule mémoire à cellule mémoire. / Spintronics applications such as magnetic random access memories (MRAM), sensors (e.g.. hard diskdrive read head) and logic devices use ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (F/AF) exchange bias (EB) interactionsto set the reference direction required for the spin of conduction electrons. Thermally-assisted (TA-) MRAMapplications even use two F/AF exchange biased bilayers: one for reference and one for storage. Suchtechnological applications involve patterning full sheet wafers into matrix of individual bit-cells. Industrialproducts qualification imposes stringent requirements on the distributions of the magnetic properties from cell tocell, including those related to EB. It was supposed few years ago that randomly spread spin-glass like phases atthe F/AF interface or within the bulk of the AF layer significantly contribute to the distributions of EB propertiesin devices after processing. This thesis aimed at factually studying the link between spin-glasses spread overF/AF thin films and bit-cell dispersions of EB in corresponding TA-MRAM. Prior to that the origin of the spinglasslike regions and more specifically the role of Mn-diffusion was consolidated. Mn-diffusion was directlyobserved, understood and the use of complex barriers to reduce such diffusion and consequently to minimize theamount of spin-glass was successfully studied. Mixing AFs as another way to tune the amount of spin-glass likephases was also evidenced in the framework of this thesis. All at once, this last solution also tuned the AF grainsthermal stability and this solved another issue related to TA-MRAM, i.e. finding AF-materials with intermediateretention and write properties compared to the AFs presently used. Finally, those mixed antiferromagnets werethe mean chosen to tune the amount of spin-glass like phases in real TA-MRAM devices and to factually provetheir link with bit-cell distributions of EB properties.

Submitted by Haroudo Xavier Filho (haroudo.xavierfo@ufpe.br) on 2016-04-14T16:39:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) tese_final_biblioteca.pdf: 10701235 bytes, checksum: 1af9d6bb745e78ea9fe6b261b7baa59c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-14T16:39:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) tese_final_biblioteca.pdf: 10701235 bytes, checksum: 1af9d6bb745e78ea9fe6b261b7baa59c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-08 / Nesta tese tratamos teoricamente algumas propriedades magnéticas e excita c~oes de spins em materiais ferromagn eticos e antiferromagn eticos com o objetivo de interpretar as medidas e observa c~oes experimentais. Usamos a formula c~ao de ondas de spins de Holstein-Primako para investigar propriedades da din^amica de propaga c~ao de ondas de spins no material ferrimagn etico YIG e tamb em no sistema antiferromagn etico FeF2. Para cada um deles, desenvolvemos modelos te oricos que permitiram ajustar as rela c~oes de dispers~ao de ondas de spins medidas experimentalmente nesses. Al em disso, investigamos a renormaliza c~ao da energia de m agnons usando o formalismo das fun c~oes de Green de dois tempos dependentes da temperatura de Bogoliubov-Tyablikov. A aplica c~ao para o YIG, permitiu calcular as varia c~oes da rela c~ao de dispers~ao para m agnons com a temperatura. Tamb em se investigou a renormaliza c~ao da energia de m agnons no sistema FeF2, mas esta vez considerando uma aproxima c~ao do tipo RPA1. Na renormaliza c~ao da energia foram consideradas duas contribui c~oes: exchange isotr opica tipo Heisenberg e anisotropia uniaxial. Em nossas considera c~oes, foi inclu da a depend^encia com a temperatura da anisotropia uniaxial que permitiu estimar o campo critico de transi c~ao de spin- op para o limite de estabilidade da fase antiferromagn etica. Tamb em, foi feito um estudo te orico e experimental da anisotropia magneto cristalina do material antiferromagn etico RbMnF3, baseado nas intera c~oes de campo cristalino e intera c~ao de spin- orbita, com o objetivo de calcular a varia c~ao com a temperatura do campo de spin- op. As ondas de spins em YIG foram estudadas em mais detalhes calculando as taxas de relaxa c~ao por processos de espalhamento de 3-m agnons e 4-m agnons. Igualmente foram estimadas empregando campos magn eticos intensos da ordem de 102 kOe. Finalmente, estudamos propriedades t ermicas de transporte de m agnons em YIG submetido a campos magn eticos intensos. Calculamos o calor 1Random Phase Approximation especi co de m agnons e a condutividade t ermica em baixas temperaturas e campos magn eticos externos intensos para serem comparados com as medidas experimentais encontrando um bom acordo entre teoria e experimento [145] / In this thesis we theoretically treat some magnetic properties and excitations of spins in ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials in order to interpret measurements and experimental observations. We use the formulation of quantization of spin waves of Holstein-Primako to investigate properties of the spin wave propagation dynamics in the ferrimagnetic material YIG and also in the antiferromagnetic system FeF2. For each of them, we have developed theoretical models to adjust the dispersion relations of spin waves measured experimentally in these systems. In addition, we investigated the magnon energy renormalization using the formalism of two-time temperature dependent Green's functions of Bogoliubov-Tyablikov. The application for the YIG allowed calculate the variation of the dispersion relation for magnons with temperature. We also investigate the magnon energy renormalization in the system FeF2, but this time considering an approximation of the RPA type. In the energy renormalization were considered two contributions: exchange isotropic Heisenberg and uniaxial anisotropy type. In our calculations the temperature dependence of the uniaxial anisotropy eld allows estimating the critical spin- op transition for the antiferromagnetic phase stability limit. Also, we have undertaken a theoretical and experimental study of the magneto crystalline anisotropy of the antiferromagnetic material RbMnF3, based on the crystal eld interactions and spin-orbit interaction, in order to calculate the variation with temperature of the eld spin- op. The spin waves in YIG were studied in more detail calculating the relaxation rate due to 3-magnons and 4-magnons scattering processes considering strong magnetic elds of hundreds of kOe. Finally, we have studied thermal transport properties of magnons in YIG subject to intense magnetic elds. We have, calculate of the speci c heat and thermal conductivity of magnons at low temperatures and high elds to compare with the experimental measurements nding a good agreement between theory and experiment [145].