Physcial Sciences Division
Staff Awards & Honors
November 2008
State of the Science in Ferromagnetic Oxides and Nitrides Is a Hot Topic
Congratulations to Dr. Scott Chambers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on having his paper "Ferromagnetism in doped thin-film oxide and nitride semiconductors and dielectrics" named a hot paper by ISI's Essential Science Indicators. Every 2 months, ISI lists the hot papers in science, chosen because for their frequent citations shortly after publication. With 30 citations since it was published in 2006, Chambers' article was selected as a hot paper in September 2008.
This 36-page article, which graced the cover of Surface Science Reports, provides a snapshot of the materials research done on ferromagnetism in doped thin-films oxides and nitrides. These materials are of considerable interest to scientists looking to make semiconductor spintronics a reality. In spintronics, the spin degree of freedom is used to carry signals and process information, rather than the change degree of freedom, which is currently used in digital and analog electronics.
Acknowledgments: The Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences Materials Sciences and Engineering Division supported a vast segment of the research conducted in this area.
Much of the science reviewed in the article was done at the Department of Energy's EMSL, a national scientific user facility at PNNL. This work involved using state-of-the-art instrumentation and top-notch expertise in a variety of disciplines.
Reference: Chambers SA. 2006. "Ferromagnetism in doped thin-film oxide and nitride semiconductors and dielectrics." Surface Science Reports 61(8):345-381.
