A study of magnetic interactions of Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ arrays using ultrasensitive microcantilever torque magnetometry

Authors

L. Gao, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
D.Q. Feng, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Lu Yuan, Physics Department, University of NebraskaFollow
T. Yokota, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Renat F. Sabirianov, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow
Sy_Hwang Liou, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
M.D. Chabot, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado
D. Porpora, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado
J. Moreland, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado

Date of this Version

6-1-2004

Comments

Published by American Institute of Physics. J. Appl. Phys., 95, 7010 (2004). ©2004 American Institute of Physics. Permission to use. http://jap.aip.org/jap/.

Abstract

We have successfully fabricated single and paired 300 nm×1.5 µm×32 nm Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ bars on a microcantilever using focused ion beam milling. Magnetic interactions of the paired bars were studied by using magnetic force microscopy, microcantilever torque magnetometry, and micromagnetic simulation. Our results clearly indicate that the magnetic switching behavior of the paired Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ bars is affected by magnetostatic interactions. The magnetic hysteresis curves for a sample with eight pairs of Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ bars consist of a series of stable switching states that are related to the domain wall motion in the bars.