Abstract:
The ability of XAS/XMCD to penetrate matter, to probe the atomic scale-length, to couple the magnetism to the selected atomic species provides a critical link between a material’s macroscopic magnetic responses and otherwise a world of invisible electronic interactions. In this presentation, I will share my research over the past 10 years using XAS and XMCD to solve some critical problems in semiconductor and spintronic materials. This covers (i) probing structural imperfections and attendant localized/itinerant ferromagnetism in a dilute magnetic semiconductor; (ii) revealing the anisotropy-tunneling correlation of a magnetic tunnel junction; (iii) mapping ferroelectric uniformity of Hf1-xZrxO2 films; (iv) exploring the spring exchange interactions in a spin-orbit ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface.