Local Spectroscopy of Ferromagnetic/Superconductor Nanostructures

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

It is proposed to conduct local spectroscopic and potentiometric measurements on submicron scale devices to investigate some of the most interesting issues in mesoscopic physics. The tools that will be developed will enable a host of new experimental investigations that would not be possible by any other means. The probe to be used in these studies is scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), one that has been used extensively in recent years to investigate structures on the nanometer scale. The requirements of the proposed experiments necessitate the assembly of a number of experimental techniques in one experimental tool, which has not been done before. After assembly of the instrument, the experiments to be performed involve imaging the magnetic vortices created in a superconducting film by an external magnetic field, and by the magnetic field emanating from ferromagnetic particles embedded in the film. The project will entail a close collaboration with Professor Herve' Courtois' group at the CRTBT in Grenoble, France. Ferromagnets are becoming increasingly important as components of a wide variety of potentially useful devices. These experiments seek to answer a number of fundamental questions regarding the properties of ferromagnets on the nanometer scale, and their interactions with other materials such as superconductors. Given the increasing importance of scanning probe microscopies in investigating and characterizing the properties of nanoscale systems, the students involved in this project will be well-trained in techniques that will be useful in their future careers, whether those careers are in industry, academia, or government laboratories.