Publikationsrepositorium - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

By using ion beam irradiation of different energy and flux we modify and tune the magnetic reversal and microstructure in synthetic perpendicular anisotropy antiferromagnets consisting of [(Co/Pt)Co/Ru] multilayer systems. The magnetic energy balance between antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange and dipolar fields in the initial state of the samples has been tuned to have two local energy minima, one for laterally correlated and vertically anti-correlated magnetic structure (single domain antiferromagnet) and the other for laterally anti-correlated and vertically correlated magnetic structure (ferromagnetic stripe domains) [1]. Ion beam irradiation is then subsequently used to locally alter the magnetic microstructure from one state to the other to create laterally co-existing phases and study their reversal behavior in external magnetic fields using Magnetic Force Microscopy.