Structural and material properties of non-equilibrium Co/Sb multilayer systems.

摘要

Currently the field of physics has strongly expanded into the field of time dependent non-equilibrium phenomena. While equilibrium (time independent) phenomena are well understood, theoretical understandings of time dependent phenomena is in its infancy. To experimentally investigate time dependent phenomena we have developed a material system formed by depositing multilayers of cobalt and antimony on a silicon substrate in a controlled manner. Previous studies of Co/Sb multilayers on Si have revealed a complex alloy that evolves magnetically in time. We have found that this evolution is driven by a temperature dependent structural annealing that occurs at approximately 380K. In this thesis we will analyze the structural properties of the material as a function of annealing time using a Rigaku Miniflex II xray powder diffractometer. These measurements will be analyzed in conjunction with ongoing magnetic and electrical properties measurements to elucidate the mechanisms behind the time dependence of the deposited sample.