Tunable magnetism on the lateral mesoscale by post-processing of Co/Pt heterostructures

Controlling magnetic properties on the nm-scale is essential for basic research in micro-magnetism and spin-dependent transport, as well as for various applications such as magnetic recording, imaging and sensing. This has been accomplished to a very high degree by means of layered heterostructures in the vertical dimension. Here we present a complementary approach that allows for a controlled tuning of the magnetic properties of Co/Pt heterostructures on the lateral mesoscale. By means of in-situ post-processing of Pt- and Co-based nano-stripes prepared by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) we are able to locally tune their coercive field and remanent magnetization. Whereas single Co-FEBID nano-stripes show no hysteresis, we find hard-magnetic behavior for post-processed Co/Pt nano-stripes with coercive fields up to 850 Oe. We attribute the observed effects to the locally controlled formation of the CoPt L1$_{0}$ phase, whose presence has been revealed by transmission electron microscopy.Comment: Accepted for publication in Beilstein J. Nanotechno

Quasicrystalline phase in melt-spun Al-Mn-Be ribbons

The quasicrystalline phase in melt-spun Al-Mn-Be alloys was investigated. In ribbons 40-60 ▫$/mu$▫m thick the phase was present in the form of small particles rather uniformly dispersed in an aluminium solid solution matrix. The quasicrystalline phase had a primitive icosahedral structure. It was confirmed that it contained a substantial amount of Be. Nonetheless, it seemed that the electron-to-atom ratio remained close to that of binary Al80Mn20 quasicrystal

Development of an Al-Mn-Be-Cu alloy with improved quasicrystalline forming ability

An Al94Mn2Be2Cu2 cast alloy was developed displaying increased quasicrystalline formation ability at moderate cooling rates. The as-cast microstructure consisted of a mainly icosahedral phase in the Al-matrix. The microstructure remained stable during uniform heating to 580 °C and isothermalannealing at 400 °C. Most of the icosahedral phase was preserved even after 24 h annealing at 500 °C. For that reason, this alloy presents a promising basis for further development of cast Al-alloys containing quasicrystals

Direct-on-barrier copper electroplating on ruthenium from the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide

The "direct-on-barrier" electroplating of copper on ruthenium from a 1 mol dm(-3) solution of CuCl in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, [C(2)mim][N(CN)(2)], is reported. Continuous layers of copper with a preferential Cu(111) orientation were obtained from this electrolyte. The copper coatings were investigated by top view scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and focused ion beam transmission electron microscopy (FIB-TEM). The nucleation density was both theoretically and experimentally evaluated by the Scharifker-Hills model and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The direct plating of copper on resistive substrates for advanced interconnects and package is a promising new application of ionic liquids.status: publishe

Electrodeposition from a liquid cationic cuprous organic complex for seed layer deposition

Continuous layers of 20 nm of copper have been deposited on a tantalum substrate from the liquid cationic cuprous organic complex [Cu(MeCN)2][Tf2N]. This type of ionic liquid, with a high concentration of copper(I) ions permits to achieve high nucleation densities. Furthermore, extremely high overpotentials (up to 5.0 V) can be applied without decomposition of the ionic liquid. The deposition of copper has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The resulting copper deposits can be useful as seed layers for aqueous copper filling.status: publishe

On the formation of Bi2S3-cellulose nanocomposite films from bismuth xanthates and trimethylsilyl-cellulose

The synthesis and characterization of bismuth sulfide-cellulose nanocomposite thin films was explored. The films were prepared using organosoluble precursors, namely bismuth xanthates for Bi2S3 and trimethylsilyl cellulose (TMSC) for cellulose. Solutions of these precursors were spin coated onto solid substrates yielding homogeneous precursor films. Afterwards, a heating step under inert atmosphere led to the formation of thin nanocomposite films of bismuth sulfide nanoparticles within the TMSC matrix. In a second step, the silyl groups were cleaved off by vapors of HCl yielding bismuth sulfide/cellulose nanocomposite films. The thin films were characterized by a wide range of surface sensitive techniques such as atomic force microscopy, attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and wettability investigations. In addition, the formation of the nanoparticle directly in the TMSC matrix was investigated in situ by GI-SWAXS using a temperature controlled sample stage