| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Magnetic Interfaces and Nanostructures | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session MI+SA-TuA |
| Session: | Spin Currents, Spin Textures and Hybrid Magnetic Structures |
| Presenter: | Barbara Jones, IBM Research - Almaden |
| Authors: | B.A. Jones, IBM Research - Almaden O.R. Albertini, Georgetown University S. Gangopadhyay, IBM Research - Almaden A.Y. Liu, Georgetown University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
We will describe and analyze the unusual magnetic properties of transition metal atoms on complex, hybrid surfaces. In collaboration with IBM Almaden’s Scanning Tunneling Microscopy team, we use DFT+U to calculate the properties of transition metal atoms on one or two atomic layers of insulator on top of a metal such as silver. We show the transition of the interface from bulk insulator or metal to a nanolayer that is nominally insulating, but that hybridizes strongly with the addition of a magnetic adatom to produce a long spin-polarized tail into the vacuum, akin to a metal. We report the results of detailed calculations of a range of magnetic atoms (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) on MgO/Ag. MgO is a common spintronic insulator, but in a nanolayer on metallic Ag, its behavior is not that of the bulk. We find that each magnetic atom has its own surface signature, with very different local spin and charge interactions with this surface, and compare it to that of other related systems. Using an onsite Hubbard U parameter which we determine from first principles, we are able to study the variability of the magnetic moment and nature of bonding. The magnetic adatoms affect the surrounding interface layer in unexpected ways. We are able to obtain interesting insights which help us understand how magnetism propagates along surfaces as well as between interfaces. These systems have potential for future spintronics or quantum computing applications.