Magnetoresistance Dynamics in Superparamagnetic Co-Fe- B Nanodots

Individual disk-shaped Co-Fe-B nanodots are driven into a superparamagnetic state by a spin-transfer torque, and their time-dependent magnetoresistance fluctuations are measured as a function of current. A thin layer of oxidation at the edges has a dramatic effect on the magnetization dynamics. A combination of experimental results and atomistic spin simulations shows that pinning to oxide grains can reduce the likelihood that fluctuations lead to reversal, and can even change the easy-axis direction. Exchange-bias loop shifts and training effects are observed even at room temperature after brief exposure to small fields. The results have implications for studies of core-shell nanoparticles and small magnetic tunnel junctions and spin-torque oscillators

Magnetic stray fields in nanoscale magnetic tunnel junctions

The magnetic stray field is an unavoidable consequence of ferromagnetic devices and sensors leading to a natural asymmetry in magnetic properties. Such asymmetry is particularly undesirable for magnetic random access memory applications where the free layer can exhibit bias. Using atomistic dipole-dipole calculations we numerically simulate the stray magnetic field emanating from the magnetic layers of a magnetic memory device with different geometries. We find that edge effects dominate the overall stray magnetic field in patterned devices and that a conventional synthetic antiferromagnet structure is only partially able to compensate the field at the free layer position. A granular reference layer is seen to provide near-field flux closure while additional patterning defects add significant complexity to the stray field in nanoscale devices. Finally we find that the stray field from a nanoscale antiferromagnet is surprisingly non-zero arising from the imperfect cancellation of magnetic sublattices due to edge defects. Our findings provide an outline of the role of different layer structures and defects in the effective stray magnetic field in nanoscale magnetic random access memory devices and atomistic calculations provide a useful tools to study the stray field effects arising from a wide range of defects

Formation of FePt nanodots by wetting of nanohole substrates

Large area arrays of FePt nanodots are fabricated on patterned substrates made of SiOx, SiNx and TiNx. The templates have a depth of ∼10 nm and a pitch of ∼20 nm with 18 nm wide holes. FePt is sputtered on the nanohole arrays, then back-etched, leaving a highly ordered array of FePt nanodots behind. To promote phase transformation to the L10 phase, the samples are annealed at temperatures of 550-650° C. During annealing, the FePt strongly dewets SiOx and SiNx substrates, causing sintering and coalescence of the FePt nanodots, but the nanodots remain highly ordered on the TiNx substrate. The nanodot arrays on TiNx are characterized magnetically before and after annealing. The out-of-plane coercivity increases by ∼1 kOe, suggesting partial transformation to the L10 phase. We also show that a capping layer can be sputtered on top of the nanodot arrays prior to annealing to prevent dewetting

Electrophoretic Deposition of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Templates

We have investigated guided self-assembly of nanoparticles using a combination of templates and electric fields. Some 11.2 ± 0.5 nm iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and dispersed in toluene. Electrophoretic mobility measurements indicate that most nanoparticles have a small excess charge. Using a parallel plate geometry, a voltage is applied to drive particles toward electrodes submersed in the nanoparticle dispersion. These electrodes are either bare silicon wafers or Si nanopatterned with hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) electron beam resist. We demonstrate how an electric field can guide the nanoparticles to selectively nucleate around patterned features. A model is developed to predict the effect of the electric field on a patterned template and the forces guiding the nanoparticle self-assembly

High-frequency permeability of Ni and Co particle assemblies

<p>A coaxial transmission line was constructed, characterized, and calibrated for the frequency dependentmeasurement of complex relative permeability (μr ) and complex permittivity (εr ). The permeability of Nipowder with a grain size of < 1 μm was measured as a function of packing density to verify the system performance. 8–10 nm diameter Co nanoparticles were synthesized, dried to a powder, and measured.The real part of the permeability for the Co nanoparticles decreased over time as a result of oxidation, and decreased the overall magnetic volume due to the formation of an antiferromagnetic CoO shell. Similarly, the imaginary part of the permeability decreased as a function of oxidation. This was attributed to the insulating CoO shell reducing eddy current losses in the nanoparticle composite.</p

Ten-Nanometer Dense Hole Arrays Generated by Nanoparticle Lithography

Large area dense hole arrays with a feature size of ∼10 nm were generated using self-assembled monolayers of nanoparticles as etch masks. To fabricate the hole arrays, monolayers of nanoparticles were irradiated by electron beam to turn surfactants into amorphous carbon, treated by acid to remove the nanoparticle cores, and then etched by CF₄ to deepen the holes. Evaporated gold films preferentially diffuse into the holes to generate gold nanoparticle arrays. However no obvious diffusion into holes was observed for a sputtered iron platinum film

Magnetic vortices in nanocaps induced by curvature

Magnetic nanoparticles with room temperature remanent magnetic vortices stabilized by their curvature are very intriguing due to their potential use in biomedicine. In the present study, we investigate room temperature magnetic chirality in 100 nm diameter permalloy spherical caps with 10 nm and 30 nm thicknesses. Micromagnetic OOMMF simulations predict the equilibrium spin structure for these caps to form a vortex state. We fabricate the permalloy caps by sputtering permalloy on both close-packed and sparse arrays of polystyrene nanoparticles. Magnetic force microscopy scans show a clear signature of a vortex state in close-packed caps of both 10 nm and 30 nm thicknesses. Alternating gradient magnetometry measurements of the caps are consistent with a remnant vortex state in 30 nm thick caps and a transition to an onion state followed by a vortex state in 10 nm thick caps. Out-of-plane measurements supported by micromagnetic simulations shows that an out-of-plane field can stabilize a vortex state down to a diameter of 15 nm