Formation and magnetization reversal mechanisms of nano-size Fe arrays prepared on anodic aluminum oxide templates

Vertically aligned Fe arrays have been self-assembled on anodic aluminum oxide templates by evaporation. The rims of the pores, which act as obstacles to the stacking of atoms, prevent them from forming continuous films. By controlling the Fe nominal thicknesses ( τ n ) from 400 to 5 nm, the morphol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Thin solid films 2010-07, Vol.518 (18), p.5300-5303
Main Authors: Huang, Kai-Tze, Kuo, Po-Cheng, Lin, Ger-Pin, Shen, Chih-Lung, Yao, Yeong-Der
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum oxide
Anodic
Anodic aluminum oxide
Arrays
Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Exact sciences and technology
Iron
Magnetic Force Microscopy
Magnetic storage media
Magnetization
Magnetization reversal
Materials science
Morphology
Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization
Nanostructure
Nanostructure array
Obstacles
Other topics in nanoscale materials and structures
Physics
Scanning Electron Microscopy
Structure and morphology
thickness
Surfaces and interfaces
thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties)
Thin film structure and morphology
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Summary:Vertically aligned Fe arrays have been self-assembled on anodic aluminum oxide templates by evaporation. The rims of the pores, which act as obstacles to the stacking of atoms, prevent them from forming continuous films. By controlling the Fe nominal thicknesses ( τ n ) from 400 to 5 nm, the morphology is changed from continuous film to isolated arrays, leading to the change of the predominant magnetization reversal from domain wall motion to spin rotation. For samples with τ n < 59 nm, isolated, rather than interconnected, morphology is formed. In this range, the coercivity shows a spectacular change for τ n = 47 nm, with an array diameter of about 52 nm, achieving a maximum of about 38 kA/m. The critical dimension of single-domain array is therefore determined. The magnetostatic and exchange interactions are reduced due to the thermal fluctuation, and the magnetization leaves from the in-plane direction to be randomly distributed in 3-D, for τ n < 27 nm.
ISSN:0040-6090
1879-2731
DOI:10.1016/j.tsf.2010.04.020