Time-resolved images of the magnetization switching process in a spin transfer structure, obtained by ultrafast x-ray microscopy, reveal the limitations of the macrospin model. Instead of a coherent magnetization reversal, we observe switching by lateral motion of a magnetic vortex across a nanoscale element. Our measurements reveal the fundamental roles played independently by the torques due to charge and spin currents in breaking the magnetic symmetry on picosecond time scales.

Nanometer-scale multilayer materials exhibit a wealth of interesting structural and mechanical property behaviors. Physical-vapor-deposition technology allows almost unlimited freedom to choose among elements, alloys, and Compounds as layering constituents and to design and produce materials with compositional and structural periodicities approaching the atomic Scale. These materials have tremendous interface area density, approaching 106 mm/mm3, so that a Square centimeter area of a one-micron-thick multilayer film with a bilayer period of 2 nm has an interface area of roughly 1,000 cm2. Hence interfacial effects can dominate multilayer structure and properties leading to unusually large strains and frequently stabilization of metastable structures. The atomic-scale layering of different materials also leads to very high hardnesses and good wear resistance. These materials are a test-bed for examination of the fundamental aspects of phase stability and for exploring mechanical strengthening mechanisms. They are also becoming increasingly interesting for applications such as hard coatings, x-ray optical elements, in microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), and in magnetic recording media and heads.In this article, we review some of the interesting structures and mechanical properties that have been observed in nanometer-scale artificial multilayer structures.Superlattice thin films are readily deposited by vapor-phase techniques such as sputter deposition, evaporation, and chemical vapor deposition, as well as by electrochemical deposition. Superlattice deposition Systems are similar to conventional film deposition Systems, except for the provision to modulate the fluxes and thereby produce alternating super-lattice layers.

We observe changes in the magneto-optic Kerr rotations of Pt-Fe and Pt-Co alloys associated with the formation of the uniaxial CuAu(I) crystal structure. In particular, we report the observation of up to 60% enhancement at 2.0 eV in the magneto-optic Kerr rotation for the ordered, epitaxial PtFe intermetallic alloy over that of the random equiatomic face-centered-cubic alloy. This enhancement is wavelength dependent, with a peak in the visible at 2.0 eV. A similar enhancement, but of smaller magnitude, is observed for unoriented CuAu(I) PtFe0.5Co0.5.

We report a method for the growth of single-phase epitaxial thin films of compounds from the family of Heusler alloys Co2Cr1−xFexAl. Elemental targets were dc magnetron sputtered in 1.5 mtorr Ar gas onto MgO substrates held at 500 °C at a total growth rate of ≈0.8 Å/s. As the Fe content increases, the structural quality improves, the level of chemical ordering increases, and the slope of the resistivity versus temperature, dρ/dt, above 50 K changes from negative to positive. An extraordinary Hall resistivity exceeding 1×10−8 Ω m is observed in the Cr-containing alloys at low temperature and room temperature. Preliminary work on the incorporation of a single quaternary alloy into spin valves shows maximum giant magnetoresistances ranging from 4% at 15 K to 2% at room temperature.

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