Unique depinning fields at symmetric double notches in a ferromagnetic permalloy nanowire

Ferromagnetic domain-wall pinning and depinning mechanisms were investigated at permalloy nanowire notches using a micromagnetic calculation. A unique depinning field originated from the symmetric double notches irrespective of the wall polarity or the propagation direction, whereas several distinct pinning mechanisms appeared from single or asymmetric notches. The depinning field was principally determined by the exiting notch slope due to the dynamic narrowing of the domain wall thickness.     

Step-edge induced anisotropic domain-wall propagation

We report the observation of anisotropic domain-wall propagation in ultrathin magnetic films with perpendicular anisotropy. A controlled density of step edges was introduced which allowed us to quantify its influence on the domain-wall pinning. For a sawtooth arrangement of the step edges the corresponding wall movement resulted in triangular shaped domains. All aspects of this anisotropic domain-wall evolution could be reproduced by a simulation based on a modified Ginzburg-Landau-type soft-spin model.     

Influence of the Magnetoelastic Mechanism on the Switching-field Fluctuations of Fe-based Amorphous Microwires

Experimental switching-field fluctuations on Fe-rich amorphous microwires have been studied at different temperatures. Two processes have been identified to be responsible for the temperature dependence of the switching field: Magnetostrictive volume domain-wall pinning and relaxation effects due to structural rearrangements A simple model accounting for two energy contributions to the switching-field has been used to fit experimental data. The switching field distribution and its unusual temperature dependence is solved in terms of a thermoactivated model. The distribution width is found to be proportional to the switching field.     

Hall micromagnetometry of domain-wall depinning in Permalloy nanowires

Experimental results of field-induced domain-wall depinning in Permalloy nanowires of submicron width and thicknesses between 10 and 30 nm are presented. Single domain walls pinned at notches in nanowires are detected by Hall micromagnetometry. The technique allows to study domain-wall propagation and depinning non-invasively in the temperature range between 2 and 50 K. The influence of sample thickness on domain-wall propagation properties is investigated. In nanowires with two notches of different pinning strength single domain walls are pinned in a toggle mode. The temperature dependence of domain-wall depinning fields in two-notch wires is analyzed.     

Modification of domain-wall propagation in Co nanowires via Ga<Superscript>+</Superscript> irradiation

The propagation of domain walls in polycrystalline Co nanowires grown by focused-electron-beam-induced deposition is explored. We have found that Ga⁺ irradiation via focused ion beam is a suitable method to modify the propagation field of domain walls in magnetic conduits. Magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements show that global Ga⁺ irradiation of the nanowires increases the domain-wall propagation field. Additionally, we have observed by means of scanning transmission X-ray microscopy that it is possible to produce substantial domain-wall pinning via local Ga⁺ irradiation of a narrow region of the nanowire. In both cases, Ga⁺ doses of the order of 10¹⁶ ions/cm² are required to produce such effects. These results pave the way for the controlled manipulation of domain walls in Co nanowires via Ga⁺ irradiation.     

The nature of domain stabilization in ferroelectric perovskites

Ferroelectric perovskites, such as Pb(Ti,Zr)O₃ and BaTiO₃, are subject to ageing effects, caused by a gradual stabilization of the ferroelectric domain structure. We studied the development of this stabilization in Mn-doped BaTiO₃ monocrystals having a special kind of domain structure. We concluded from measurements of the growth of the internal bias field E_i and the change of the sideways 180° domain-wall mobility with time, that the fairly strong stabilization in this material originates from volume effects, which implies a gradual reorientation of polar defects with respect to the direction of the spontaneous polarization, both 180° domain-wall pinning and surface-layer effects being completely absent. A proposal is made about the nature of these defects.     

Designing magnetics of capped perpendicular media with minor-loop analysis

A novel method of analyzing the switching field distribution (SFD) and magnetic correlation length of perpendicular magnetic recording media that uses major and minor magnetization loops is proposed. By applying the analysis to a series of capped perpendicular media, we found that a thick capping layer with a low saturation magnetization effectively reduced SFD without rapidly increasing the magnetic correlation length. Transmission electron microscope observation suggests that the SFD is narrowed by the increased uniformity of intergranular exchange coupling via the thick capping layer. Evaluations of recording characteristics demonstrated a close correlation between narrower SFDs and improved recording performance. Reducing exchange coupling dispersion is a clear solution for improving the performance of recording media.     

Mirror domain structures induced by interlayer magnetic wall coupling

We have found that during giant magnetoresistance measurements in approximately 10 x 10 mm(2) NiFe/Cu/Co continuous film spin-valve structures, the resistance value suddenly drops to its absolute minimum during the NiFe reversal. The results reveal that the alignment of all magnetic domains in the NiFe film follow exactly that of corresponding domains in the Co film for an appropriate applied field strength. This phenomenon is caused by trapping of the NiFe domain walls through the magnetostatic interaction with the Co domain-wall stray fields. Consequently, the interlayer domain-wall coupling induces a mirror domain structure in the magnetic trilayer.     

Magnetization reversal of ultrathin Fe film grown on Si（111） using iron silicide template

Ultrathin Fe films were epitaxially grown on Si（lll） by using an ultrathin iron silicide film with p（2 × 2） surface reconstruction as a template. The surface structure and magnetic properties were investigated in situ by low energy electron diffraction （LEED）, scanning tunnelling microscopy （STM）, and surface magneto-optical effect （SMOKE）. Polar SMOKE hysteresis loops demonstrate that the Fe ultrathin films with thickness t 〈 6 ML （monolayers） exhibit perpen-dicular magnetic anisotropy. The characters of M-H loops with the external magnetic field at difference angles and the angular dependence of coercivity suggest that the domain-wall pinning plays a dominant role in the magnetization reversal process.[第一段]     

Magnetic irreversibility of the Fe antidot arrays film by depositing on the porous alumina templates

An Fe layer was sputter-deposited onto porous alumina templates and Kapton respectively. Fe layer on the porous alumina templates formed an antidot arrays nanostructure, while Fe layer on the Kapton substrate formed a continuous film. Scanning electron microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction were employed to characterize the morphology and crystal structure of the Fe antidot arrays and continuous film, respectively. The temperature dependence of magnetic properties was shown in the temperature range 2-300 K. The irreversibility of the magnetization of Fe antidot arrays film, as measured in zero-field cooling (ZFC) and field cooling (FC) states, was attributed to the pinning effect of the holes.     

Observation of high density recording states using magnetic fine particles made by sputtering method

High density recording patterns were visualized by sputter-deposition of magnetic fine particles on recording media. Very clear patterns were formed when the magnetic particles were deposited under a weak magnetic field onto the sample surface covered with a thin oil layer. By using this process, the recorded patterns at a density of 100 k FCI (bit length 0.25 μm) were very clearly observed by a scanning electron microscope. This method gives very effective measures to investigate the recording states of magnetic and magneto-optical media.     

Resistive state of superconducting structures with fractal clusters of a normal phase

The effect of morphologic factors on magnetic flux trapping and critical currents in a superconducting structure, which presents a type II percolation superconductor with pinning centers, is considered. The role of pinning centers is played by fractal clusters of the normal phase. The properties of these clusters are analyzed in detail: their statistics is studied, the distribution of critical currents of depinning is found, and the depen-dences of the main statistical parameters on the fractal dimension are obtained. The effect of fractal clusters of the normal phase on the electric field caused by the motion of the magnetic flux after the vortices have been broken away from pinning centers is considered. The current-voltage characteristics of superconducting structures in a resistive state are obtained for an arbitrary fractal dimension. It is found that the fractality of the boundaries of normal-phase clusters forces magnetic flux trapping, thereby increasing the critical current.     

Conversions of free wall clusters in soft magnetic layers

The theory of free clusters in thin soft magnetic layers has been further developed by investigating their conversions. A wall cluster is a collection of domain walls (considered to be infinitely thin surfaces over which the magnetization abruptly changes its direction) that have one intersection line, the so-called cluster knot, in common. The cluster knot of a free wall cluster does not coincide with any of the bounding edges of the magnetic geometry. The domain structure is considered as a concatenation of wall clusters, in which already existing clusters initiate the development of new ones, which subsequently provide for an extension in the domain structure. Only reversible changes in the domain structure are considered. In this context, the fact that the creation line is the orthogonal trajectory to a continuous magnetization field plays a crucial role in the creation of (sub)clusters. This takes place without having to overcome a threshold formed by the domain-wall energy. Concave and convex subclusters are defined in order to facilitate the analysis of the creation of new (sub)clusters. It is shown, among other things, that a concave subcluster consists of an even number of uniform domains. The part that these types of subclusters play in free-cluster conversions is demonstrated. Bifurcation of clusters has been considered in detail, and the boundaries of the sectors, in which the intermediate domain wall between both clusters has to be situated, are given. The theoretical findings are supported by experimental evidence.     

Intermediate layer thickness dependence on switching field distribution in perpendicular recording media

The effect of intermediate layer (IL) thickness on crystallographic texture and magnetic properties of CoCrPtSiO₂ granular perpendicular recording media was investigated with switching field distribution (SFD) as the focus. Even though the c-axis orientation of the Co-based recording layer (RL) broadens with the reduction of IL thickness, the SFD becomes narrower. This result demonstrates that the intrinsic SFD is not directly dependent on c-axis orientation of the recording layer but instead dependent on the magnitude of exchange coupling. It is thus possible to have a medium with thin IL and narrow SFD. This is desirable for bit-patterned media (BPM), where highly exchange-coupled grains are required.     

Magnetic properties of Fe/Pt films by symmetrical insertion of Ag

Ultrathin Ag (0.5 nm) pinning layers (APLs) were symmetrically inserted into [Fe/Pt] bilayers to introduce controllable defects on the interfaces between Ag and Fe/Pt multilayers. The highest coercivity 7700 Oe and remanent squareness 0.95 were obtained with five APLs. The large enhancement in coercivity (75% increment compared with that without APL) is due to the relative uniform defects that introduced pinning effects on the interfaces between the APLs and Fe/Pt multilayers. According to the distribution of angule- dependent coercivity of Fe/Pt multilayers without and with APLs, a tendency is suggested of weakened domain-wall motion while enhanced rotation of reverse domain mode.     

Effect of domain variations on damping capacity of Fe-16Cr-2.5Mo alloy solution annealed at 1373 K and 1473 K

The damping capacity of Fe-16Cr-2.5Mo alloy heat-treated at different temperatures was investigated. A water-based magnetic fluid was used to analyze domain morphologies. The experimental results show that there is a maximum value of damping capacity when the solution annealing temperature of the material is 1373 K. When the annealing temperature is higher, the damping capacity of the alloy drops quickly. The change in damping capacity with the solution annealing temperature is believed to be due to different domain morphologies. The domains are larger and the domain-wall area is smaller in the alloy annealed at a higher temperature. The wedge-shaped domains acted as obstacles for pinning the domain-wall movement, even though movement of the 90° domains is easy. As a result, the damping capacity of the alloys drops when the annealing temperature is very high.     

Magnetic and noise properties of as-deposited and annealed soft underlayer

We studied the magnetic and noise properties with various soft underlayer (SUL) types. For an as-deposited SUL, the results of spectrum, oscilloscope waveform and MFM indicated that the SUL types with IrMn pinning layer have more noise level than that of SUL types without IrMn pinning layer. And, after magnetic filed annealing along radial direction of disk, the exchange bias field increased and the noise level of type B (exchange bias type) decreased. These results reveal that incomplete or partial coupling may be generated at the interface between IrMn and ferromagnetic layer in as-deposited SUL. This incomplete coupling may result in complex or multidomain patterns in ferromagnetic layer.     

Recording head field for SPT head combined with hard/soft magnetic composite pillar array media

The head field distribution for hard/soft magnetic composite pillar array media (CPA media) is significantly different from that of the conventional patterned media. The head field distribution for a CPA media-single-pole-type (SPT) head system which assumes 1 Tbits/in² recording is calculated by the three dimensional finite elements method. One of the features of the system is that a magnetic flux concentrates in a hard magnetic unit. The system is found to yield 80% of the field strength of SPT head and continuous SUL media system.     

Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording with Matching Media and Recording Head Field

The dynamic performance of heat assisted magnetic recording （HAMR） on different media is investigated. Signal and signal-to-noise ratio enhancement are achieved in high coereivity perpendicular media with the aid of laser heating. Linear recording density is increased while saturation write current is lowered. Trailing field partial erasure is observed in lower coercivity media with a ring head, which causes signal reduction with increasing write current or application of a laser. Precautions should be taken against partial erasure in overall recording system optimization of HAMR in order to achieve ultrahigh recording density.     

Dynamics of two-dimensional vortex system in a strong square pinning array at the second matching field

We study the dynamics of a two-dimensional vortex system in a strong square pinning array at the second matching field. Two kinds of depinning behaviors, a continuous depinning transition at weak pinning and a discontinuous one at strong pinning, are found. We show that the two different kinds of vortex depinning transitions can be identified in transport as a function of the pinning strength and temperature. Moreover, interstitial vortex state can be probed from the transport properties of vortices.