Annealing-induced Fe oxide nanostructures on GaAs

Author

Lu, Yongxiong ; Ahmad, Ehsan ; Xu, Yongbing ; Thompson, Sarah M.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electron., York Univ., UK

Volume

41

Issue

10

fYear

2005

Firstpage

3328

Lastpage

3330

Abstract

We report the evolution of Fe oxide nanostructures on GaAs(100) upon preand post-growth annealing conditions. GaAs nanoscale pyramids were formed on the GaAs surface due to wet etching and thermal annealing. An 8.0-nm epitaxial Fe film was grown, oxidized, and annealed using a gradient temperature method. During the process the nanostripes were formed, and the evolution has been demonstrated using transmission and reflection high energy electron diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. These nanostripes exhibited uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. The formation of these nanostructures is attributed to surface anisotropy, which in addition could explain the observed uniaxial magnetic anisotropy.

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; annealing; etching; ferromagnetic materials; gallium arsenide; iron; magnetic anisotropy; magnetoelectronics; nanostructured materials; scanning electron microscopy; 8 nm; Fe; GaAs; annealing; epitaxial growth; gradient temperature method; nanoscale pyramids; nanostripes; scanning electron microscopy; surface anisotropy; transmission and reflection high energy electron diffraction; uniaxial magnetic anisotropy; wet etching; Annealing; Electrons; Gallium arsenide; Iron; Magnetic anisotropy; Magnetic films; Nanostructures; Optical films; Temperature; Wet etching; Annealing; magnetic Fe oxide; magnetic uniaxial anisotropy; nanostructures;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Magnetics, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9464

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TMAG.2005.855202

Filename

1519295