Instituto de Nanociencia, Nanotecnología y Materiales Moleculares (INAMOL)
Campus de la Fábrica de Armas, Toledo
(Labs 1.05 and 1.11)
Characterization equipments:
This lab is equipped with a low temperature scanning probe microscopy setup for measurements with vectorial magnetic field provided by superconducting coils (up to 2T in the XY plane and 5T in out-of-plane configuration). Experiments can be made within the 4-300K temperature range by using a low vibrational setup of a closed circuit He-compressor. The system allows to perform Atomic and Magnetic Force Microscopy (AFM/MFM), Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy (SHPM) as well as force and IV spectroscopy via tip-sample DC-Bias. Both, MFM and SHPM, allows to get magnetic results at the nanoscale from two different approaches: by interacting with the magnetic moment of the sample, allowing magnetic configuration interaction (MFM), or the non-interacting mode, especially useful in soft-magnetic samples and magnetometry experiments (hysteresis loops), by measuring the sample’s stray-field (SHPM). In addition, thanks to 8 extra custom channels, the setup can be used not only as a cryostat for electric measurements (Magnetoresistance, Hall and other magnetotransport measurements) with external field within the 4-300K but provides extended capabilities for simultaneous electrical measurements or electrical sample conditioning during the xFM/SHPM experiment. Furthermore, the topographic and magnetic characterization can be performed by a Phywe/Nanosurf compact atomic force microscope with nanometer resolution.
A home-made
magneto-optic magnetometer in reflection [vectorial Magneto-Optic Kerr-Effect (v-MOKE)] is available to carry out the magnetic measurements at different applied field angles. It allows us to study the longitudinal and transverse magnetization components. The applied magnetic field in the sample plane ranges ± 125 mT.
A
electrical magnetoresistance setup consists of the electromagnet, power supply, Hall probe and resistance measurement device, and allows us to study the magneto-resistive response in magnetic thin films and compacts of nanoparticles at room temperature. The electromagnet is powered by the Kepco bipolar operational power supply and the magnetic field ranges from 0 to 830 mT, for the standard distance between poles pieces (8 mm). The applied current to the sample is controlled by a Keithley current source which combined with a Keithley nanovoltmeter measure the resistance. The control program was created by using the LabVIEW software package.
Synthesis equipments:
This lab focuses on the synthesis of magnetic nanostructures, including thin films and horizontal nanowires, with specific interest on magnetic anisotropic systems. There are
two vacuum deposition chambers to grow the nanostructures. One with 3 magnetron sputtering sources and a Kaufmann ion source of 1 keV, and other with DC and RF magnetron sputtering sources, a thermal evaporation source and a quartz crystal microbalance.
Film patterning is done in our Cleanroom (class ISO-7) equipped with optical lithography utilities. X-ray diffractometer, high-resolution Secondary and Transmission electron microscopes for crystal structure and chemical composition analysis available at the university R&D facilities as a low-cost, technician-assisted service to be used on many samples and devices.