The anisotropic microwave absorption in the presence of alternative magnetic field has been studied for the first time in superconducting super-lattices based on PbTe-PbS, which are layered anisotropic systems similar to high T_{c} superconductors. A new method of study has been used. The microwave response was detected under broad-band conditions and compared with the results of synchronous detection. All the features which have been observed in high T_{c} materials are clearly seen here.
Kerr magnetometry was employed to study the temperature dependence of magnetization and magnetic hysteresis loops in ferromagnetic EuS-PbS semiconductor multilayers in the temperature range T=3-35 K at low magnetic fields H≤150 Oe. For EuS-PbS/KCl(100) structures with ultrathin non-magnetic PbS spacer of 1~nm, we observed a maximum on the temperature dependence of magnetization at low fields H≤30 Oe. For higher fields, we found for these structures a regular mean-field-like increase in magnetization with decreasing temperature. The same regular behavior was also found for EuS-PbS/KCl structures with thicker PbS spacer, as well as for all EuS-PbS/BaF_2(111) multilayers independently of spacer thickness. For qualitative interpretation of these findings, we consider two magnetic contributions to the total energy of EuS-PbS multilayers: the Zeeman energy and the antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling between ferromagnetic EuS layers via diamagnetic PbS spacer.
The ferromagnetic/diamagnetic semiconductor superlattices, EuS/PbS and EuS/YbSe, were studied by neutron reflectivity. In order to determine the strength of the interlayer coupling, the intensity of the first magnetic Bragg peak vs. applied external magnetic field was measured. Additionally, the in-plane anisotropy and the domain structure were studied by polarized neutron reflectivity. The dependence of the intensity of the antiferromagnetic neutron reflectivity peak vs. magnetic field was simulated using a Stoner-Wohlfarth model. To reproduce the observed spectra it was necessary to take into account the presence of fluctuations of the nonmagnetic layers thickness, by assuming a Gaussian spread of the interlayer coupling constant $J$. For both EuS/PbS and EuS/YbSe superlattices, the best fit was obtained for the directions of the in-plane easy axes, which agree with those determined by polarized neutron reflectivity.
Antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling between ferromagnetic layers of EuS via nonmagnetic PbS spacer layer was experimentally studied in EuS-PbS wedge multilayers grown on KCl (001) substrates with EuS thickness of 6 nm and PbS thickness varying in the wedges in the range 0.3-6 nm (i.e. n=1-20 monolayers). Measurements of magnetic hysteresis loops of EuS-PbS multilayers performed in the temperature range 5-30 K by superconducting (SQUID) and magneto-optical magnetometers revealed a rapid increase in saturation magnetic field in multilayers with PbS spacer thinner than about 1.5 nm. It shows a monotonic increase in interlayer coupling strength with a decreasing PbS spacer thickness, in qualitative agreement with 1/2^n dependence predicted theoretically for semiconductor magnetic superlattices.
A comparative study of structural and superconductive properties of semi conductor epitaxial superlattices PbTe-SnTe and PbTe-PbS grown on (001) KCl has been carried out. It has been found that the superconductivity of the PbTe-SnTe superlattices is caused by the stretching strain in the SnTe layers and it may be connected with the relative positions of L^{+}_{8} and L^{+}_{6} terms of PbTe and SnTe, respectively in the heterojunction. In contrast to the PbTe-SnTe superlattices, the superconductivity of the PbTe-PbS super lattices is found to be associated with regular misfit dislocation grids which are generated at the interfaces.
Magnetic and structural properties of EuS/Co multilayers were studied by magnetic optical Kerr effect and SQUID magnetometry techniques and by X-ray diffraction method. The multilayers containing monocrystalline, ferromagnetic EuS layer (thickness 35-55 Å) and metallic Co layer (thickness 40-250 Å), were grown on KCl (001) and BaF₂ (111) substrates using high vacuum deposition technique employing electron guns for Co and EuS. All investigated EuS/Co multilayers exhibit ferromagnetic properties at room temperature due to Co layer with the ferromagnetic transition in EuS layer clearly marked upon cooling below 16 K. In EuS/Co/EuS trilayers grown on KCl substrate the antiferromagnetic alignment of magnetization vectors of Co and EuS layers was experimentally observed as a characteristic low field plateau on magnetization hysteresis loops and a decrease in multilayer magnetization below 16 K. In Co/EuS bilayers the characteristic temperature dependent shift of magnetization loops was found due to exchange bias effect attributed to the CoO/Co interface formed by the oxidation of the top Co layer.
Investigations of the photoluminescence of PbS-EuS superlattices deposited on (111)BaF_{2} substrates are presented. Quantum-size and deformation effects in photoluminescence spectra are observed. The strain-induced gap shift and valence-band offset is determined from experimental results. A strong stimulated photoluminescence with relatively low threshold was observed. It was found that the photocarriers generated in EuS barrier strongly affect the population of PbS subbands.
Temperature and magnetic field dependence of magnetization of EuS-SrS multilayers grown epitaxially on KCl (001) substrate is experimentally studied by superconducting magnetometry technique. In these lattice-matched semiconductor heterostructures EuS layers are ferromagnetic quantum wells whereas SrS layers are nonmagnetic spacer barriers. The multilayers composed of EuS layers with thickness 3.5-5 nm and SrS layers (thickness 0.5-10 nm) exhibit ferromagnetic transition at 17 K. In the multilayers with ultrathin SrS spacers (0.5-1 nm) a nonmonotonic temperature dependence of magnetization as well as a characteristic switching in magnetic hysteresis loops is observed. These experimental findings are explained considering antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling between ferromagnetic EuS layers via nonmagnetic SrS spacers. The strength of this coupling is determined based on model magnetization calculations.
We present the results of ferromagnetic resonance studies of the thickness dependence of magnetic anisotropy in 2 series of EuS-PbS multilayers grown on (111) BaF_{2} and (100) KCl substrates with the EuS thickness varying in the range d=6-70 Å. The anisotropy constant K was found to follow the dependence K(d)=K_{V}+2K_{S}/d , with the surface term K_{S} larger for layers grown on BaF_{2} as compared to KCl. This difference is discussed in terms of different thermal stress-induced distortions of cubic crystal lattice of EuS. We found that the thickness of EuS layer required for the perpendicular (to the layer) magnetization is d ≤ 2-3 Å, i.e., it is below 1 monolayer.
Antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling in semiconductor EuS-PbS-EuS ferromagnetic trilayers grown on PbS (001) substrates with ultrathin (0.6-1.2 nm) nonmagnetic PbS spacers is studied by SQUID magnetometry and model calculations. Analysis of the experimentally observed magnetic field and temperature dependence of the magnetization of EuS-PbS structures reveals a rapid decrease in the interlayer coupling energy with increasing temperature indicating a temperature dependence of the microscopic coupling mechanism acting in these all-semiconductor ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic multilayers.
Magnetic properties of semiconductor EuS(t)-PbS(d)-EuS(t) ferromagnetic trilayers (t=30÷300Å and d=7.5÷70Å) grown on n-type monocrystalline PbS (100) substrate were studied by SQUID magnetometry and ferromagnetic resonance technique yielding, in particular, the dependence of the ferromagnetic Curie temperature on the thickness of the EuS layer. Structural parameters of layers were examined by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. A high structural quality of the substrate and the multilayer was verified by the measurements of the X-ray rocking curve width indicating the values of the order of 100 arcsec and by atomic force microscopy revealing the presence on the cleft PbS surface regions practically flat in the atomic scale over the area of 1×0.1μm^2.
Magnetic and structural properties of EuS-SrS semiconductor multilayers were studied by SQUID and magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry techniques and by X-ray diffraction method. The multilayers composed of monocrystalline, lattice matched ferromagnetic EuS layers (thickness 35-50Å) and nonmagnetic SrS spacer layers (thickness 45-100Å) were grown epitaxially on KCl (001) substrates with PbS buffer layer. Ferromagnetic transition in EuS-SrS multilayers was found at the Curie temperature T_c=17 K. The multilayers exhibit only weak in-plane magnetic anisotropy with [110] easy magnetization axis. Coercive field of EuS-SrS multilayers shows a linear increase with decreasing temperature. Magneto-optical mapping of magnetic hysteresis loops of the multilayers revealed good spatial homogeneity of their magnetic properties.
Temperature dependence of current-voltage I-V characteristics and resistivity is studied in ferromagnetic PbS-EuS semiconductor tunnel structures grown on n-PbS (100) substrates. For the structures with a single (2-4 nm thick) ferromagnetic EuS electron barrier we observe strongly non-linear I-V characteristics with an effective tunneling barrier height of 0.3-0.7 eV. The experimentally observed non-monotonic temperature dependence of the (normal to the plane of the structure) electrical resistance of these structures is discussed in terms of the electron tunneling mechanism taking into account the temperature dependent shift of the band offsets at the EuS-PbS heterointerface as well as the exchange splitting of the electronic states at the bottom of the conduction band of EuS.
Current-voltage characteristics and temperature dependence of differential conductance were studied in lithographically patterned (lateral dimensions from 10 x 10 μm^2 to 100 x 100 μm^2) ferromagnetic EuS-PbS-EuS microstructures. Below the ferromagnetic transition temperature a 4% decrease in the structure conductance was observed for mutual antiferromagnetic orientation of magnetization vectors of ferromagnetic EuS layers.
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