Local Atomic Structure and Magnetism in Amorphous Fe$_{\mathrm{x}}$Si$_{\mathrm{1-x}}$ Thin Films

ORAL

Abstract

Amorphous FexSi1-x thin films exhibit a large enhancement in M compared to crystalline films with the same composition (0.45\textless $x$\textless 0.75). XMCD shows enhancement in both spin and orbital moments. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reproduce this enhanced magnetization. DFT and EXAFS show the amorphous materials have decreased number of nearest neighbors and reduced number density relative to crystalline samples of same x, which leads to the enhanced moment.

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Authors

  • Frances Hellman

    Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Physics and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley

  • Yanning Zhang

    University of California, Irvine, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA

  • Catherine Bordel

    Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA, Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley

  • Kevin Stone

    Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA

  • Catherine Jenkins

    Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA

  • David Smith

    Arizona State University, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

  • J. Hu

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA

  • Ruqian Wu

    Univ of California - Irvine, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA, University of Calfornia Irvine, University of California, Irvine

  • Steve Heald

    Argonne National Laboratory, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL

  • Jeff Kortright

    Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA

  • Julie Karel

    University of California, Berkeley, CA