Perovskite oxides (ABO₃) are a promising class of transition metal oxides that have attracted significant attention in material science due to diverse range of properties. Many studies on structural and magnetic properties have been done on perovskite oxides to base the multifunctional devices made by and proposed for these materials. Yet another very important property of perovskite oxides is that many of their band gaps are in the visible range. These gaps make these oxides a suitable choice for photovoltaic applications. However, despite the very critical role this property plays in light harvesting devices, there has been a limited understanding about the carrier dynamics of these materials, which inform us about the efficiencies of photovoltaic devices, especially in lower thicknesses. Since by decreasing the film thickness, the surface to bulk ratio increases and surface electrons dominate the bulk electrons, surface recombination might occur as an extra channel of energy relaxation, which decreases the device efficiency. Perovskite oxide La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) thin films were fabricated with different thicknesses by pulsed laser deposition on (100) SrTiO₃ single crystal substrates. Our films’ quality were checked by in situ RHEED patterns and oscillations, X-ray diffraction and reflectivity, magnetometry and atomic force microscopy. Ultra-fast carrier dynamics were studied by a degenerate reflectivity pump probe setup at 800nm for different film thicknesses and different pump powers. For films with a thickness above ~20nm three different recombination were observed, attributed to electron phonon relaxation, spin lattice phonon assists relaxation and thermal diffusion relaxation. However, for films thinner than ~20nm an extra relaxation mechanism was observed, which we attributed to surface recombination. This optics work was funded by the American Chemical Society (PRF #56642-ND10); sample growth and optimization were supported by NSF (DMR-1608656).

A key driver of modern information technology is the quest for “smaller and faster” information processing and storage. The ultimate speed limit is the speed of light. Therefore, the idea to probe, change and control properties of materials with the help of light has long intrigued researchers in materials science. Of particular interest are magnetic materials which in nanostructured form are used for data storage, memory and processing. In this talk I will show several examples the unique potential of using femtosecond soft x-ray pulses from x-ray free electron lasers such as the LCLS to probe in real time ultrafast spin dynamics in nanoscale systems and during all-optical magnetic switching. Understanding and ultimately engineering the evolving electron, spin and lattice motion on the time- and lengthscales associated with the relevant interactions promises new ways for storing and processing of information.

Here I report on the demonstration of XUV four-wave-mixing response in a transient grating (TG) approach, exploiting the unique properties of the seeded FEL source FERMI and of two dedicated setups: TIMER and mini-TIMER. All-XUV TG data allowed us to determine the phonon and thermal dynamics of several semiconductors in an uncharted length-scale range, extending down to ≈20 nm. The results are compared with those of XUV pump/optical probe TG, evidencing different couplings to the electronic subsystem.

Additionally, I present the first evidence of FWM processes stimulated by FEL pulses at different wavelengths, obtained exploiting the multi-color capabilities of FERMI and will discuss the foreseen implementation of second order wave-mixing techniques for the chemical and interface specific probing of electronic processes.

1. W. S. Lee et al.. Phase fluctuations and the absence of topological defects in photo-excited charge ordered nickelate. Nature Communications 3, 838 (2012).

2. Y. D. Chuang, W. S. Lee et al., Real-Time Manifestation of Strongly Coupled Spin and Charge Order Parameters in Stripe-Ordered La1.75Sr0.25NiO4 Nickelate Crystals Using Time-Resolved Resonant X-Ray Diffraction. Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 127404 (2013).

3. W. S. Lee et al., Non-equilibrium Lattice-driven Dynamics of Stripes in Nickelates using Time-Resolved X-ray Scattering. Phys. Rev. B 95, 121105(R) (2017).

4. S. Gerber, et al., Direct characterization of photo-induced lattice dynamics in BaFe2As2. Nature Communication 6, 7377 (2015).

5. S. Gerber, S.-L. Yang et al., Femtosecond electron-phonon lock-in via photoemission and x-ray free-electron laser. Science 357, 71 (2017).

During the past decade, increased attention has been shown to hard X-rays in the photoelectron spectroscopy field. This is mainly due to the increased information depth enabled by the higher photon energies. Such bulk sensitive measurements could previously only be performed at dedicated synchrotron radiation facilities. The beam lines providing this type of radiation are heavily booked, so access to the experimental setups is thus limited. Higher excitation energies also enables bulk sensitive measurements of deep core levels not accessible with standard XPS.

Here we present a newproduct featuring a monochromized X-ray source giving out Ga Ka radiation at 9.25keV and a wide acceptance angle hemispherical electron analyzer, both combined on a simple to use vacuum system. The base system can easily be customized by adding separate modules such as a MBE- or preparation chamber or a glove box. With this system, a new set of possible experiments opens up in the home laboratory: investigations of buried interfaces, in operando devices, real world samples, etc.

The X-ray source consists of a MetalJet X-ray tube and the electrons which are accelerated into this jet generate an intense Ga Ka radiation. These X-rays are monochromized using a newly developed monochromator. The small spot size of 20 µm provided by the liquid jet source is maintained throughout the passing of the monochromator and only slightly broadened to about 50µm. In order to allow for easy adjustment of the X-ray focal point relative to the electron analyzer, the entire assembly of monochromator and source can be moved down to a precision of a few micrometers. The hemispherical electron analyzer is configured for high kinetic energies allowing for detection of the full energy range the source provides and a large acceptance angle of +/- 30 degrees. The overall system resolution is shown to be <0.5 eV.

We present data taken from polycrystalline gold and silicon wafers with a surface layer of silicon dioxide with a controlled thickness as well as transistor stacks and energy related materials.