2012/10/09 by Ge, C. N., Wan, Xiangang, Pellegrin, E. +3
#FOS: Physical sciences #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1210.2510
Using magnetron sputtering, we produced a series of Co/CoO-MgO nanoparticles on Si(100) substrates. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) image shows that small isolated Co-clusters (core) covered with CoO (shells) with a size of a few nm embedded in a MgO matrix. Resistivity as a function of Co atomic ratio exhibits a distinct percolation threshold with a sharp decrease around 69% Co content. Across the threshold, the resistivity drops about 7 orders of magnitude. For a sample at this percolation critical threshold, we have observed a giant exchange bias field HE=2460 Oe at T= 2K, and using soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism at the Co-L2,3 edge, we have detected a ferromagnetic (FM) signal originating from the antiferromagnetic CoO shell. Moreover, decreasing the Mg-impurities will reduce the FM signal from CoO shell (namely the uncompensated spin density) and the size of HE, thus directly support the uncompensated spin model.