Cost-effective measurement of magnetostriction in nanoscale thin films through an optical cantilever displacement method

Abstract

A cost-effective method for the quantitative characterization of the magnetostrictive effect in thin films is presented. In this method, a sample's magnetostriction is extrapolated from the tip displacement of a thin-film magnetostrictive cantilever. The tip displacement is measured by monitoring the position of a reflected laser beam using two differentially coupled photodiode positioning sensors. In contrast with alternative optical deflection-angle devices designed for educational purposes, the detection limit of our setup resolves submicron-level displacements from nanoscale thin films. The efficacy of the system is demonstrated through measurements using amorphous 200-nm thick Terfenol-D/Si (100) bimorph cantilevers. In these measurements, magnetostriction values of 106 ± 3.5 ppm at ±4300 Oe applied field were attained, where the voltage noise floor was ±0.05 V (a cantilever displacement uncertainty of ±70 nm). In-plane (IP) and out-of-plane (OOP) magnetization curves and crystallographic x-ray diffraction (XRD) were performed to determine the magnetic behavior and confirm the amorphous nature of the films, respectively. The experimental methods and material characterization systems demonstrated here enhance the understanding of complex magnetic phenomena and introduce common measurement techniques to better equip students with the skills for insightful analysis of fundamental magnetic physics.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2023
Source ID
10.1119/5.0134187

Entities

People

  • David L. Tran
  • Gregory P. Carman
  • Mohanchandra K. Panduranga
  • Paymon Shirazi

Organizations

  • National Science Foundation
  • United States Army Research Laboratory
  • University of California

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Nanoscale Plasmonic Nanotechnology

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Pulsed-Laser Deposition