Micromagnetic properties and magnetization switching of single domain Co dots studied by magnetic force microscopy

Magnetic force microscopy was applied to study the magnetic properties of Co dot microstructures. The high density magnetic dot arrays were fabricated using nanolithographic techniques on GaAs substrates. The ferromagnetic Co dots were found to be in a single domain state for Co film thicknesses of 7 nm and 17 nm. The magnetization of the as-prepared Co dot array was found to be in a non-uniform state. After applying a magnetic field the Co dots are in a uniform magnetization state. Induced switching of the magnetization of single Co dots by the stray field of the probing tip using an additionally applied in-situ magnetic field has been demonstrated.     

Effect of the soft layer thickness on magnetization reversal process of exchange-spring nanomagnet patterns

A systematic study of the magnetization reversal behavior in the regular arrangement of L1₀-FePt based exchange-spring nanomagnets with different thicknesses of the Co soft magnetic layer is presented. The magnetic property of the hard magnet is compared to two tuned exchange-spring magnets: its systems of 20 nm L1₀-FePt/3 nm, and 7 nm Co. In particular, we focus on the switching field distribution. The exchange coupling showed narrower SFD, in spite of the decoupled part switches earlier. The magnetization switching mechanism of exchange-spring nanomagnets patterns has been revealed with a first-order reversal curves technique and the switching field distribution. Further, the microscopic results using magnetic force microscopy show that the spin rotation of the non-interacting part in the thicker soft layered exchange-spring magnet. The part influences the magnetization reversal process. According to the experimental results, exchange coupling strength can be tuned by the thickness of the soft magnetic layer.     

Magnetization behavior of nanomagnets for patterned media application

Bit patterned media (BPM) which utilize each magnetic nanostructured dot as one recorded bit has attracted much interest as a promising candidate for future high-density magnetic recording. In this study, the magnetization reversal behaviors of nanostructured L1₀-FePt, Co/Pt multilayer (ML), and CoPt/Ru dots are investigated. For Co/Pt and CoPt/Ru nanodots, the bi-stable state is maintained in a very wide size range up to several hundred nm, and the magnetization reversal is dominated by the nucleation of a small reversed nucleus with the dimension of domain wall width. On the other hand, the critical size for the bi-stability of L1₀-FePt is about 60 nm, and its magnetization reversal proceeds via domain wall displacement even for such a small dot size. These reversal behaviors, depending on the magnetic materials, might be attributed to the difference in structural inhomogeneity, such as defects. In addition to the magnetic properties, the structural uniformity of the material could be crucial for the BPM application.     

Enhanced asymmetric magnetization reversal in nanoscale Co/CoO arrays: competition between exchange bias and magnetostatic coupling

Magnetization reversal was studied in square arrays of square Co/CoO dots with lateral size varying between 200 and 900 nm. While reference nonpatterned Co/CoO films show the typical shift and increased width of the hysteresis loop due to exchange bias, the patterned samples reveal a pronounced size dependence. In particular, an anomaly appears in the upper branch of the magnetization cycle and becomes stronger as the dot size decreases. This anomaly, which is absent at room temperature in the patterned samples, can be understood in terms of a competition between magnetostatic interdot interaction and exchange anisotropy during the magnetic switching process.     

Magnetic properties of hexagonal ferrite dot arrays

Patterned magnetic media have been considered as one of the promising candidates for future ultra-high-density magnetic recording. In this paper, a new kind of patterned medium based on hexagonal ferrite have been studied. We have successfully fabricated strontium ferrite dot arrays by electron beam lithography. Their magnetic properties are evaluated by magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The results show the dot arrays have perpendicular anisotropy. Dots with the lateral size larger than 500 nm show multidomain magnetization configuration in the initial magnetization state. However, with dot size decreased to 500 nm, all the dots have single-domain configuration both in the initial magnetization state and remanent magnetization state.     

Micromagnetic simulations of the domain structure and the magnetization reversal of Co50Ni50/Pt multilayer dots

The domain structure and the switching field of Co₅₀Ni₅₀/Pt multilayer dots, prepared by laser interference lithography, were micromagnetically simulated. The simulations were carried out with a three-dimensional simulation package, optimized for large-scale problems. The single-domain state is the lowest energy state for dots with a diameter below 75 nm. The switching field was computed by using suitable minimization techniques, and was used to analyze the effect of size, dot shape and edge defects.     

Understanding magnetic properties of arrays of small FePt dots with perpendicular anisotropy

FePt dot arrays with dot size down to 15 nm are fabricated by film annealing and patterning. The array coercivity shows an increase with dot size decreasing from 100 to 30 nm, and a slight reduction for the 15 nm dot sample. Annealing these dot arrays at higher temperatures results in large enhancements in the coercivities, except the 15 nm dot array where the coercivity increases a little. Micromagnetic models of a 15 nm FePt dot with uniform and nonuniform edges of soft magnetic defects and with inside defects are calculated to reveal the microstructure origins of the dot magnetic properties. It is found that the volume fraction of the L1₀-phase FePt with perpendicular c-axis orientation is about 50% in the dot and the switching field distribution of the dot array can be influenced significantly by the defect arrangement in the dots.     

Synthesis of Ni<Subscript>80</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>20</Subscript> and Co nanodot arrays by self-assembling of polystyrene nanospheres: magnetic and microstructural properties

Array of dots have been designed by assembling a monolayer of polystyrene nanospheres (PN) on sputtered thin films having Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ and Co composition with different thickness, ranging in the interval 20 ÷ 80 nm. Subsequently the films are nanopatterned using the nanospheres as a mask during sputter etching with Ar⁺ ions. A Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) process before sputter etching is used to control the final diameter of the magnetic dots that thus can be tailored as desired (typically ranging in the interval 250 ÷ 400 nm depending on the PN starting diameter). In addition, electron beam lithography has been exploited to obtain arrays of dots in Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ thin films having approximately the same mean size and dot distance as in self-assembled samples. All films have been routinely characterized by SEM and AFM microscopy to evaluate the microstructure. Magnetic domain patterns at magnetic remanence and in the demagnetised state have been imaged by MFM microscopy technique. Room-temperature hysteresis properties have been measured by an alternating gradient force magnetometer. In general, the magnetization process in all patterned films has been observed to have features typical of a vortex whose nucleation field depends on sample thickness and mean dot dimension. A comparison between magnetic arrays of Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ dots prepared by self-assembling of polystyrene nanospheres and electron beam lithography is presented to rule out the role of microstructure (i.e., order, size, and mutual distance of the magnetic dots) on magnetic properties.     

Ultrafast nanomagnetic toggle switching of vortex cores

We present an ultrafast route for a controlled, toggle switching of magnetic vortex cores with ultrashort unipolar magnetic field pulses. The switching process is found to be largely insensitive to extrinsic parameters, like sample size and shape, and it is faster than any field-driven magnetization reversal process previously known from micromagnetic theory. Micromagnetic simulations demonstrate that the vortex core reversal is mediated by a rapid sequence of vortex-antivortex pair creation and annihilation subprocesses. Specific combinations of field-pulse strength and duration are required to obtain a controlled vortex core reversal. The operational range of this reversal mechanism is summarized in a switching diagram for a 200 nm Permalloy disk.     

MFM study of magnetic vortex cores in circular permalloy dots: behavior in external field

In a circular dot of permalloy with an appropriate size, a vortex structure with perpendicular (turned-up) magnetization at the core is realized. The existence of the perpendicular magnetization spot has been confirmed and the direction of the magnetization, up or down, has been determined by magnetic force microscopy (MFM) for permalloy dots with the diameter of 0.1–1 μm. The switching field of turned-up magnetization is determined by applying external fields perpendicularly and in tilted directions to the plane. By comparing the MFM results and the magnetization curves measured by a SQUID magnetometer, the switching process of turned-up magnetization is argued.     

Magnetization patterns simulations of Fe,Ni, Co,and permalloy individual nanomagnets

Hysteresis loop behaviours are studied in circular, triangular and Reuleaux's triangle (RT) of Fe, Co, Ni, and permalloy nanomagnets using micromagnetic simulations. The size and morphology of the nanomagnets are analyzed for three different thickness (10, 20, and 40 nm). For the triangle and RT shapes, our results reveal that for all magnetic material considered and in the low thickness (10 nm) the hysteresis prefer to be open, showing important coercive fields and remanence. However, when the thickness is increased (40 nm) almost all hysteresis loops are closed. Finally, the different mechanism of the magnetization reversal are investigated by monitoring the spin configuration as a function of the applied magnetic field.     

Read/write characteristics of a new type of bit-patterned-media using nano-patterned glassy alloy

The paper reports a feasibility study of new type bit-patterned-media using a nano-patterned glassy alloy template for ultra-high density hard disk applications. The prototype bit-patterned-media was prepared using a nano-hole array pattern fabricated on a Pd-based glassy alloy thin film and a Co/Pd multilayered film filled in the nano-holes. The prepared prototype bit-patterned-media had a smooth surface and isolated Co/Pd multilayer magnetic dots, where the average dot diameter, the average dot pitch and the average dot height were 30, 60 and 19 nm, respectively. MFM (magnetic force microscope) observation revealed that each dot was magnetized in a perpendicular direction and the magnetization could reverse when an opposite magnetic field was applied. Static read/write tester measurements showed that repeated writing and reading on isolated magnetic dots were possible in combination with conventional magnetic heads and high-accuracy positioning technologies. The present study indicates that the new type of bit-patterned-media composed of nano-hole arrays fabricated on glassy alloy film template and Co/Pd multilayer magnetic dots are promising for applications to next generation ultra-high density hard disk drives.     

Effect of dipolar interaction on the magnetization state of chains of rectangular particles located either head-to-tail or side-by-side

Magnetostatic coupling in arrays of closely spaced magnetic elements is becoming an important issue in the path to the fabrication of spintronic devices. Dense chains of rounded-corners rectangular particles (dots) of lateral size 1025 × 450 nm², with interdot spacing variable in the range between 55 and 700 nm, have been patterned by deep UV lithography, followed by the lift-off of two permalloy films of thickness 20 and 40 nm. Magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) experiments, together with micromagnetic simulations, were performed to study the dependence of the magnetization configuration on the dipolar coupling. Both MOKE measurements and MFM images clearly show that, at remanence, the magnetic state of isolated particles of thickness 20 nm takes the form of a distorted single domain (C-state or S-State configurations). Instead, when the particle thickness is double (40 nm), closure states characterized by one, two or three vortices occur at remanence. However, when the 40 nm thick dots are placed in chains along the easy axis (head to tail), as the separation is progressively reduced, the single domain state is stabilized at remanence. On the other hand, when the 40 nm thick particles are placed side by side in chains the effect of dipolar interactions is to favour the nucleation of vortex states. For small inter-element separation, there is only one vortex per particle and it has the same chirality in adjacent particles, due to the dipolar interaction. Different from this, for the 20 nm thick samples and sub-100 nm separation, adjacent particles are single-domain but with antiparallel magnetization in neighbour elements, like in an artificial antiferromagnet.     

Magnetoresistive measurement of switching behavior in nano-structured magnetic dot arrays

In the present study, geometrical and thermal effects in a mesoscopic magnetization reversal process have been studied on a novel nano-structure of magnetic relief dot with magnetoresistive measurements. Only the top layer of a substrate/CoPt(10 nm)/Cu(10 nm)/NiFe(6, 12 nm) film was structured into rectangular dots with various lengths (L) and widths (W) down to 0.2 μm. Coercive fields of NiFe relief dots (W=0.2 μm) systematically decrease with the decrease of L/W, as predicted from demagnetizing factors in single domain particle. About 50% reduction of H_c due to a temperature rise, from 5 to 300 K, demonstrates considerable thermal activation in the magnetization reversal of nano-structured magnetic particles.     

Stochastic simulation of thermally assisted magnetization reversal in sub-100 nm dots with perpendicular anisotropy

Thermally assisted magnetization reversal of sub-100 nm dots with perpendicular anisotropy has been investigated using a micromagnetic Langevin model. The performance of the two different reversal modes of (i) a reduced barrier writing scheme and (ii) a Curie point writing scheme are compared. For the reduced barrier writing scheme, the switching field H_swt decreases with an increase in writing temperature but is still larger than that of the Curie point writing scheme. For the Curie point writing scheme, the required threshold field H_th, evaluated from 50 simulation results, saturates at a value, which is not simply related to the energy barrier height. The value of H_th increases with a decrease in cooling time owing to the dynamic aspects of the magnetic ordering process. Dependence of H_th on material parameters and dot sizes has been systematically studied.     

Dynamics of magnetic stray fields at initial stage of magnetization reversal of micrometer-sized Co dots

The dynamical evolution of magnetic stray fields has been investigated at the initial stage of magnetization reversal of a microstructured cobalt film (Co dots). Quantitative measurements of the domain magnetization and of the shift of the domain boundaries have been performed at 1 ns intervals. The measurements were performed using an emission electron microscope. The photoelectrons were excited from a sample using well-defined synchrotron-radiation pulses in single bunch operation mode (UE56/1-PGM at BESSY II, Berlin). The magnetization movement was initiated by an external magnetic field pulse, the pulse width being 8 ns. The magnetic field pulse was synchronized with the synchrotron single bunch radiation pulses. The lateral and time resolutions of the applied pulses were 50 nm and 500 ps, respectively. PACS 31.70.Hq; 68.37.Xy; 75.70.-i; 75.75.+a     

Magnetisation reversal in cylindrical nickel nanobars involving magnetic vortex structure: A micromagnetic study

A three-dimensional, Fast-Fourier-Transformed (3D-FFT) micromagnetic simulation was employed to study the magnetization reversal mechanisms in cylindrical nickel nanobars possessing magnetic vortices. Individual Ni nanobars of height 150–250 nm with aspect ratio varying from 2.1 to 2.5 were considered, all of them supporting magnetic vortices domains. Magnetization reversal in these nanobars involves the vortex-creation–annihilation (VCA) mechanism with an inversion symmetry feature observed mid-way during reversal process. The effect of incidence angle of externally applied field on overall magnetization reversal process is examined in detail. The corresponding variations in coercivity, squareness, exchange energy and vortex parameters are described by the micromagnetic study that can shed insights for building practical Ni nanobars magnetic nanostructures/devices.     

Systematic study of magnetization reversal in square Fe nanodots of varying dimensions in different orientations

Ferromagnetic nanoparticles can be used for data storage, spintronics, and other applications. Especially vortex states are often suggested to be used to store information. Due to the shape anisotropy dominating in nanoparticles, magnetization reversal processes can be expected to depend not only on the dimensions, but also on the orientation with respect to the external magnetic field. While several papers evaluate magnetization dynamics, including vortex precessions, in round nanodots, square nanodots are less often investigated. Here we report on different magnetization reversal processes found in micromagnetic simulations of square Fe nanodots with lateral dimensions between 100 nm and 500 nm and thicknesses between 10 nm and 50 nm. Choosing magnetic field orientations parallel to one of the square edges and under 45^°, seven different reversal mechanisms were found, most of them including a single-vortex state, while in some cases two, three or more vortex-antivortex pairs were found. The ground state, i.e. the magnetic state at vanishing external magnetic field, was often a single-vortex state, making the nanodot with the respective dimensions suitable for data storage applications. The stability of this state, i.e. the field range over which it existed, depended strongly on the lateral dimensions and the dot thickness and was largest for small lateral dimensions and large thicknesses.     

Investigation of micromagnetism and magnetic reversal of Ni nanoparticles using a magnetic force microscope

Isolated Ni nanoparticles were studied in situ by atomic and magnetic force microscopy in the presence of an additional external field up to 300 Oe. By comparing topographic and magnetic images, and also by computer modeling of magnetic images, it was established that particles smaller than 100 nm are single-domain and easily undergo magnetic reversal in the direction of the applied external magnetic field. For large magnetic particles, the external magnetic field enhances the magnetization uniformity and the direction of total magnetization of these particles is determined by their shape anisotropy. Characteristics of the magnetic images and magnetic reversal of particles larger than 150 nm are attributed to the formation of a vortex magnetization structure in these particles. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1277–1283 (July 1998)