Pierre-Olivier Jubert

Direct Observation of Domain-Wall Configurations Transformed by Spin Currents

Direct observations of current-induced domain-wall propagation by spin-polarized scanning electron microscopy are reported. Current pulses move head-to-head as well as tail-to-tail walls in submicrometer Fe20Ni80 wires in the direction of the electron flow, and a decay of the wall velocity with the number of injected current pulses is observed. High-resolution images of the domain walls reveal that the wall spin structure is transformed from a vortex to a transverse configuration with subsequent pulse injections. The change in spin structure is directly correlated with the decay of the velocity.

Self-assembled ferrimagnet--polymer composites for magnetic recording media.

A self-assembled magnetic recording medium was created using colloidal ferrimagnetic building blocks. Monodisperse cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe(2)O(4)) were synthesized using solution-based methods and then stabilized in solution using the amphiphilic diblock copolymer, poly(acrylic acid)-b-poly(styrene) (PAA-PS). The acid groups of the acrylate block bound the polymer to the nanoparticle surface via multivalent interactions, while the styrene block afforded the magnetic nanoparticle--polymer complex solubility in organic solvents. Moreover, the diblock copolymer improved the colloidal stability of the ferrimagnetic CoFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles by reducing the strong interparticle magnetic interactions, which typically caused the ferrimagnetic nanoparticles to irreversibly aggregate. The nanoparticle--polymer complex was spin-coated onto a silicon substrate to afford self-organized thin film arrays, with the interparticle spacing determined by the molecular weight of the diblock copolymer. The thin film composite was also exposed to an external magnetic field while simultaneously heated above the glass transition temperature of poly(styrene) to allow the nanoparticles to physically rotate to align their easy axes with the direction of the magnetic field. In order to demonstrate that this self-assembled ferrimagnet--polymer composite was suitable as a magnetic recording media, read/write cycles were demonstrated using a contact magnetic tester. This work provides a simple route to synthesizing stabilized ferrimagnetic nanocrystals that are suitable for developing magnetic recording media.

Monolayer Assembly of Ferrimagnetic CoxFe3–xO4 Nanocubes for Magnetic Recording

We report a facile synthesis of monodisperse ferrimagnetic Co(x)Fe(3-x)O4 nanocubes (NCs) through thermal decomposition of Fe(acac)3 and Co(acac)2 (acac = acetylacetonate) in the presence of oleic acid and sodium oleate. The sizes of the NCs are tuned from 10 to 60 nm, and their composition is optimized at x = 0.6 to show strong ferrimagnetism with the 20 nm Co0.6Fe2.4O4 NCs showing a room temperature Hc of 1930 Oe. The ferrimagnetic NCs are self-assembled at the water-air interface into a large-area (in square centimeter) monolayer array with a high packing density and (100) texture. The 20 nm NC array can be recorded at linear densities ranging from 254 to 31 kfci (thousand flux changes per inch). The work demonstrates the great potential of solution-phase synthesis and self-assembly of magnetic array for magnetic recording applications.

Scaling tape-recording areal densities to 100 Gb/in 2

We examine the issue of scaling magnetic tape-recording to higher areal densities, focusing on the challenges of achieving 100 Gb/in2 in the linear tape format. The current highest achieved areal density demonstrations of 6.7 Gb/in2 in the linear tape and 23.0 Gb/in2 in the helical scan format provide a reference for this assessment. We argue that controlling the head-tape interaction is key to achieving high linear density, whereas track-following and reel-to-reel servomechanisms as well as transverse dimensional stability are key for achieving high track density. We envision that advancements in media, data-detection techniques, reel-to-reel control, and lateral motion control will enable much higher areal densities. An achievable goal is a linear density of 800 Kb/in and a track pitch of 0.2 µm, resulting in an areal density of 100 Gb/in2.

Monodisperse Cobalt Ferrite Nanomagnets with Uniform Silica Coatings

Ferro- and ferrimagnetic nanoparticles are difficult to manipulate in solution as a consequence of the formation of magnetically induced nanoparticle aggregates, which hamper the utility of these particles for applications ranging from data storage to bionanotechnology. Nonmagnetic shells that encapsulate these magnetic particles can reduce the interparticle magnetic interactions and improve the dispersibility of the nanoparticles in solution. A route to create uniform silica shells around individual cobalt ferrite nanoparticles--which uses poly(acrylic acid) to bind to the nanoparticle surface and inhibit nanoparticle aggregation prior to the addition of a silica precursor--was developed. In the absence of the poly(acrylic acid) the cobalt ferrite nanoparticles irreversibly aggregated during the silica shell formation. The thickness of the silica shell around the core-shell nanoparticles could be controlled in order to tune the interparticle magnetic coupling as well as inhibit magnetically induced nanoparticle aggregation. These ferrimagnetic core-silica shell structures form stable dispersion in polar solvents such as EtOH and water, which is critical for enabling technologies that require the assembly or derivatization of ferrimagnetic particles in solution.

Three-dimensional magnetic flux-closure patterns in mesoscopic Fe islands

We have investigated three-dimensional magnetization structures in numerous mesoscopic Fe/Mo(110) islands by means of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism combined with photoemission electron microscopy (XMCD-PEEM). The particles are epitaxial islands with an elongated hexagonal shape with length of up to 2.5 micrometer and thickness of up to 250 nm. The XMCD-PEEM studies reveal asymmetric magnetization distributions at the surface of these particles. Micromagnetic simulations are in excellent agreement with the observed magnetic structures and provide information on the internal structure of the magnetization which is not accessible in the experiment. It is shown that the magnetization is influenced mostly by the particle size and thickness rather than by the details of its shape. Hence, these hexagonal samples can be regarded as model systems for the study of the magnetization in thick, mesoscopic ferromagnets.

Growth modes of Fe(110) revisited: a contribution of self-assembly to magnetic materials

We have revisited the epitaxial growth modes of Fe on W(110) and Mo(110), and propose an overview or our contribution to the field. We show that the Stranski?Krastanov growth mode, acknowledged for a long time in these systems, is in fact characterized by a bimodal distribution of islands for a growth temperature in the range ~250?700??C. We observe firstly compact islands whose shape is determined by Wulff?Kaischevs theorem, and secondly thin and flat islands that display a preferred height, i.e.?are independent of nominal thickness and deposition procedures?(1.4?nm for Mo, and 5.5?nm for W on the average). We used this effect to fabricate self-organized arrays of nanometres-thick stripes by step decoration. Self-assembled nanoties are also obtained for nucleation of the flat islands on Mo at fairly high temperature, i.e.?~800??C. Finally, using interfacial layers and solid solutions we separate two effects on the preferred height, first that of the interfacial energy, and second that of the continuously varying lattice parameter of the growth surface.

Noise and Recording Properties of Barium-Ferrite Particulate Media Studied by Micromagnetic Modeling

We study noise and recording properties of nonoriented barium-ferrite particulate media using micromagnetic modeling. The packing and orientation distribution of the barium ferrite particles are reproduced very well with our packing algorithm. The distribution of switching fields is determined from experimental hysteresis loops. Using these parameters, we perform recording simulations of periodic waveforms written at various frequencies and extract broad-band signal-to-noise ratio (BB-SNR). Comparison to experimental measurements shows very similar signal and noise characteristics, with however a 6 dB offset in BB-SNR values. Other (e.g., mechanical) noise sources would need to be included in the simulations to account for the difference. Nevertheless, the simulations prove very useful to understand and quantify how particle and media parameters contribute to the signal-to-noise ratio. For the present nonoriented particulate medium, we verify that the particle volume distribution affects the noise power according to the existing analytical expression for particulate noise. The particle anisotropy distribution is found to significantly affect the signal roll-off. The related variation in BB-SNR is found to be in good quantitative agreement with experiments. The effects of other parameters on BB-SNR, such as dipolar coupling, medium thickness, and average head-medium spacing, are also presented. An analytical slope model is proposed for nonoriented media that reproduces the simulations and experimental data very well.

Velocity of vortex walls moved by current

Current-induced domain-wall motion experiments in 27nm thick and 200–500nm wide Fe20Ni80 wires are reported. By imaging the domain-wall position after current injections, the mean wall velocities are determined. The initial velocity is found to be constant for pulse lengths between 2 and 25μs but decays after about ten injections. For samples with an increasing wire width the initial velocity is reduced.

Optimizing the flux coupling between a nanoSQUID and a magnetic particle using atomic force microscope nanolithography

We present results of niobium based SQUID magnetometers for which the weak links are engineered by the local oxidation of thin films using an atomic force microscope (AFM). Firstly, we show that this technique allows the creation of variable thickness bridges with 10 nm lateral resolution. Precise control of the weak link milling is offered by the possibility to monitor, in real-time, the weak link conductance. Such a process is shown to enhance the magnetic field modulation and hence the sensitivity of the magnetometer. Secondly, AFM lithography is used to provide a precise alignment of nanoSQUID weak links with respect to a ferromagnetic iron dot. The magnetization switching of the near-field coupled particle is studied as a function of the applied magnetic field direction.