In this thesis, two selected topics in magnetism are studied using theoretical modelling and computational methods. The first of these is the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) of transition metal based magnets. In particular, ways of finding 3d transition metal based materials with large MAE are considered. This is motivated by the need for new permanent magnet materials, not containing rare-earth elements, but is also of interest for other technological applications, where the MAE is a key quantity. The mechanisms of the MAE in the relevant materials are reviewed and approaches to increasing this quantity are discussed. Computational methods, largely based on density functional theory (DFT), are applied to guide the search for relevant materials. The computational work suggests that the MAE of Fe1-xCox alloys can be significantly enhanced by introducing a tetragonality with interstitial B or C impurities. This is also experimentally corroborated. Alloying is considered as a method of tuning the electronic structure around the Fermi energy and thus also the MAE, for example in the tetragonal compound (Fe1-xCox)2B. Additionally, it is shown that small amounts (2.5-5 at.%) of various 5d dopants on the Fe/Co-site can enhance the MAE of this material with as much as 70%. The magnetic properties of several technologically interesting, chemically ordered, L10 structured binary compounds, tetragonal Fe5Si1-xPxB2 and Hexagonal Laves phase Fe2Ta1-xWx are also investigated. The second topic studied is that of magnetic effects on the elastic scattering of fast electrons, in the context of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A multislice solution is implemented for a paraxial version of the Pauli equation. Simulations require the magnetic fields in the sample as input. A realistic description of magnetism in a solid, for this purpose, is derived in a scheme starting from a DFT calculation of the spin density or density matrix. Calculations are performed for electron vortex beams passing through magnetic solids and a magnetic signal, defined as a difference in intensity for opposite orbital angular momentum beams, integrated over a disk in the diffraction plane, is observed. For nanometer sized electron vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum of a few tens of ħ, a relative magnetic signal of order 10-3 is found. This is considered realistic to be observed in experiments. In addition to electron vortex beams, spin polarised and phase aberrated electron beams are considered and also for these a magnetic signal, albeit weaker than that of the vortex beams, can be obtained. / <p>Felaktigt ISBN i den tryckta versionen: 9789155497149</p><p></p>

Spin-torque transfer (STT) effects have brought spintronics ever closer to practical electronic applications, such as MRAM and active broadband microwave spin-torque oscillator (STO), and have emerged as an increasingly attractive field of research in spin dynamics. Utilizing materials with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in such applications offers several great advantages such as low-current, low-field operation combined with high thermal stability. The exchange coupling that a PMA thin film exerts on an adjacent in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA) layer can tilt the IMA magnetization direction out of plane, thus creating a stack with an effective tilted magnetic anisotropy. The tilt angle can be engineered via both intrinsic material parameters, such as the PMA and the saturation magnetization, and extrinsic parameters, such as the layer thicknesses.       STOs can be fabricated in one of a number of forms—as a nanocontact opening on a mesa from a deposited pseudospin-valve (PSV) structure, or as a nanopillar etching from magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ)—composed of highly reproducible PMA or predetermined tilted magnetic anisotropy layers.       All-perpendicular CoFeB MTJ STOs showed high-frequency microwave generation with extremely high current tunability, all achieved at low applied biases. Spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) measurements and analysis revealed the bias dependence of spin-torque components, thus promise great potential for direct gate-voltage controlled STOs.       In all-perpendicular PSV STOs, magnetic droplets were observed underneath the nanocontact area at a low drive current and low applied field. Furthermore, preliminary results for microwave auto-oscillation and droplet solitons were obtained from tilted-polarizer PSV STOs. These are promising and would be worth investigating in further studies of STT driven spin dynamics. / Effekter av spinnvridmoment (STT) har fört spinntroniken allt närmare praktiska elektroniska tillämpningar, såsom MRAM och den spinntroniska mikrovågsoscillatorn (STO), och har blivit ett allt mer attraktivt forskningsområde inom spinndynamik. Användning av material med vinkelrät magnetisk anisotropi (PMA) i sådana tillämpningar erbjuder flera stora fördelar, såsom låg strömförbrukning och funktion vid låga fält i kombination med hög termisk stabilitet. Den utbyteskoppling (”exchange bias”) en PMA-tunnfilm utövar på ett intilliggande skikt med magnetisk anisotropi i planet (IMA) kan få IMA-magnetiseringsriktningen att vridas ut ur planet, vilket ger en materialstack med en effektivt sett lutande magnetisk anisotropi. Lutningsvinkeln kan manipuleras med både inre materialparametrar, såsom PMA och mättningsmagnetisering, och yttre parametrar, såsom skikttjocklekarna. STO:er kan tillverkas som flera olika typer - som en nanokontaktsöppning på en s.k. mesa av en deponerad pseudospinnventilstruktur (PSV) eller som en nanotråd etsad ur en magnetisk tunnlingsövergång (MTJ) –och bestå av mycket reproducerbar PMA eller av skikt med på förhand bestämt lutning av dess magnetiska anisotropi. MTJ-STO:er av CoFeB med helt vinkelrät anisotropi visar högfrekvent mikrovågsgenerering med extremt stort frekvensomfång hos strömstyrningen, detta vid låg biasering. Mätning och analys av spinnvridmoments-ferromagnetisk resonans (ST-FMR) avslöjade ett biasberoende hos spinnvridmomentskomponenter, vilket indikerar en stor potential för direkt gate-spänningsstyrda STO:er. I helt vinkelräta PSV-STO:er observerades magnetiska droppar under nanokontaktområdet vid låg drivström och lågt pålagt fält. Dessutom erhölls preliminära resultat av mikrovågssjälvsvängning och av s.k. ”droplet solitons” hos PSV-STO:er med lutande polarisator. Dessa är lovande och skulle vara värda att undersökas i ytterligare studier av STT-driven spinndynamik. / <p>QC 20160829</p>