Electronic structure of buried layers and interfaces investigated by high energy photoemission and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

• Applicant: Dr. Gerhard H. Fecher
• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: from 2010 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 164481210

This project will produce thin films of advanced spintronic materials and performs in-situ investigation by photoelectron spectroscopy. The investigation of the bulk electronic structure by photoemission is already challenging and even higher demands occur in the case of buried layers and interfaces. Photoemission with hard X-ray excitation (HAXPES) in combination with spin resolution is, at present, the only method that is able to solve that problem for spintronic materials. HAXPES will be used to investigate the electronic structure of buried layers, interfaces, and devices. The in-situ study of the thin films allows to investigate the electronic structure step-by-step during the growth of devices (eg. for CPP-GMR) to optimize their physical properties. Besides the materials used in other groups of ASPIMATT (e.g.: Co2YZ) new tetragonal Heusler compounds (e.g.: Mn2xYGa, Y=Fe, Pt) with perpendicular anisotropy will be investigated. The combination of thin film production with HAXPES in a laboratory system will allow the in-situ investigation of the electronic structure. High resolution valence band spectroscopy of the materials will be performed at synchrotron facilities.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 1464: ASPIMATT: Advanced Spintronic Materials and Transport Phenomena
• Participating Person: Professorin Dr. Claudia Felser