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(Reproduced with permission. © 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics)
In conventional SPLEEM, the electron beam is produced by focusing an electron beam onto an electron-emitting cathode surface. The laser excites the emission of electrons back in the direction of the laser, which means the laser itself must be set a relatively long distance from the cathode, limiting how small and intense the laser spot on the cathode can be.
To enhance the intensity of electron production, the research team created their electron source on a transparent base and instead shone the laser from behind. “The challenge has been creating a transparent cathode with the same quality as an opaque substrate,” explained Yoshikazu Takeda, one of the Nagoya University researchers on the team. With this new design, the scientists were able to focus the laser to a spot as small as 1.3 microns in diameter. “In this way, the brightness of the beam is increased by four orders of magnitude,” said Takeda.
The researchers built their transparent cathode from alternating layers of gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP). By carefully controlling the strain that builds up in these layers, they could increase the purity of electrons emitted with the correct spin polarization to as high as 90%.
These two design elements result in a ‘spin gun’ that is perfectly suited to real-time imaging of magnetic materials. A SPLEEM system incorporating this electron source was successfully used to observe the growth of magnetic domains in layers of cobalt as they were deposited on a tungsten substrate (Fig. 1), allowing the researchers to observe how some domains vanished as the cobalt became thicker.
More detailed knowledge of magnetic materials could aid researchers in a number of different areas. “One example could be hard disks for memory,” suggested Takeda. “We can learn how small a domain can be made without losing the magnetized, or memorized, region.”
Further details of this research is reported in the paper by Suzuki et al entitled, “ Real time magnetic imaging by spin-polarized low energy electron microscopy with highly spin-polarized and high brightness electron gun” published in Applied
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net August/September 2010 Physics Express 3, 026601 (2010’.
Green Light for Sharp, EGP & ST Joint Venture ‘3Sun’
The Joint Venture will focus on producing thin-film solar cells in Italy’s largest photovoltaic panel plant and expanding independent photovoltaic power generation businesses in the Europe, Middle East and African regions.
Sharp, Enel Green Power (EGP”), and STMicroelectronics (ST) have established ‘3Sun’, a joint venture company for the production of thin-film solar cells. They have signed a binding commitment for project financing agreement for €150 million for the development of what will be Italy’s biggest photovoltaic panel factory.
The 3Sun equal share joint venture enters its operational phase, in line with the agreement signed by the three partners on January 4th, 2010, with its statutory bodies having been appointed today. The goal of the joint venture is to start operations at the Catania factory for the integrated production of innovative photovoltaic cells and panels. The factory will be Italy’s largest photovoltaic panel manufacturer from the first day of operation.
The Sicilian factory’s initial photovoltaic panel production capacity is to be financed through a combination of self-financing, funding from the CIPE (the Italian Joint Ministerial Committee for Economic planning) - which recently set aside €49 million for this project - and project financing provided by leading banks. Each partner has underwritten one third of the equity with a commitment of €70 million in cash or in tangible and intangible assets.
Each partner brings specialist knowledge and skills to 3Sun. EGP is an expert in developing renewable energy on an international scale and in project management. Sharp will contribute its exclusive triple-junction III-V thin-film technology, which has been in use since spring this year at the Sakai factory in Japan. ST has the manufacturing know- how with highly trained specialists in state-of-the-art technology sectors such as microelectronics.
3Sun will start the production of thin-film solar cells
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