Metallic clusters: production and magnetic properties

Author(s)

Artur Domingues Tavares de Sá

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin
• Defense date: 2013-06-21

Examining board members

Varlei Rodrigues; Paulo César Piquini; Júlio Criginski Cezar; Mário Noboru Tamashiro; Kleber Roberto Pirota

• Advisor: Varlei Rodrigues

Abstract

Clusters, i.e. nano-particles formed by a few tens or up to 107 atoms, attract great interest due to their peculiar properties as enhanced magnetic moment and catalytic activity, size-specific fluorescence and non-bulky geometrical structures. This happens mainly due to effects arising from their high surface-to-bulk ratio and because of the discrete energy levels due to the small amount of atoms at these structures. However, in order to get a deeper understanding of the mechanisms taking place in cluster-assembled samples, it is fundamental to have a good control of crucial parameters such as clusters size, composition, concentration and deposition energy. In this way, we have developed and constructed a source to produce clusters with a controllable number of atoms intended to produce particles ranging from 2 up to 100 atoms. A beam of cluster ions is produced, characterized and deposited under ultra high vacuum (UHV) conditions, using a magnetron sputtering cluster source. This source is based on the design of Haberland et al. (1) with the innovative introduction of a cylindrical sputtering geometry that intends to increase the particle generation efficiency also to facilitate the production of alloy clusters. A usual clusters source is constituted essentially of an atom source and aggregation chamber, to generate the particles; electrostatic lenses, to guide them; and a mass analyzer, which may, or not, select the particles by mass. For the atom source we have designed two sputtering-like sources, a home-made 1" typical planar magnetron and also a home-made cylindrical one, for axial erosion of wire targets. The aggregation chamber has a variable length ( 0-300 mm), so we can control the average size of the clusters. A skimmer, three Einzel lenses and a Bessel-Box are used to guide charged cluster through the instrument. As mass analyzer we have built Time-Of-Flight mass spectrometer. It is important to say that we choose to build almost all the components at Unicamp, these components will be described in the body of this thesis. The equipment, which is operational, showed itself capable to produce particles with more than 500 atoms, exceeding our initial expectations. We also report on magnetic characterization of clusterassembled nanostructures with cobalt clusters with 2.3 nm diameter embedded in copper matrices at different concentrations. Results from the triple fit and transport measurements were compared and showed that only at low concentration (0.5 at % Co) all experiments are consistent with the non-interacting particles assumption and the common theoretical description is appropriate. Increasing the concentration to 2.5 at.% and 5 at.% implies deviations between magnetometry and magnetotransport (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 08/11293-0 - MAGNETIC AND ELECTRICAL TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS WITH MAGNETIC CLUSTER.
• Grantee: Artur Domingues Tavares de Sá
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate