Abstract
The Fe atoms were deposited on the Si(111)-7 × 7 surface, which has been saturated with the C2H5OH molecules. Then, the Fe clusters were formed on Si(111)-7 × 7-C2H5OH surface and in situ observed by the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The STM images showed that with the increase of Fe clusters, the size of clusters was about 5 nm and they self-assembled in straightly linked chain crossing the step to lower or upper terrace. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was in situ carried out on the surface of Fe/Si(111)-7 × 7-C2H5OH samples before and after the introduction of thin air (4.5 × 10-2 Langmuir) into the STM chamber. The XPS results showed that the Fe clusters are stable in the abovementioned thin air condition at room temperature. Based on the STM and XPS results, the driving force making one-dimensional straightly linked chain structure might be the magnetic force of the Fe clusters. The formation of straightly linked Fe clusters chains suggests the formation of single magnetic domain Fe clusters.PACS07.79.Cz, 81.15.-z, 75.75.Fk
Highlights
The reported critical sizes for single magnetic domains were 85 nm for Ni, 40 nm for Fe3O4, and 16 nm for α-Fe [3,4,5], and the cluster with a size lower than the critical value displays super paramagnetism, which could not be applied for the magnetic recording medium
It is worthy of note that the straightly linked chain structures appears on larger Fe clusters, just as shown in Figure 2c,d, and the authors presumed the formation of single magnetic domain of 5-nm Fe clusters
In summary, we attained to control the preparation of 5nm Fe clusters on Si(111)-7 × 7-C2H5OH surface
Summary
The preparation of single magnetic domain clusters is an interesting challenge to magnet materials for high-density magnetic recording medium. The reported critical sizes for single magnetic domains were 85 nm for Ni, 40 nm for Fe3O4, and 16 nm for α-Fe [3,4,5], and the cluster with a size lower than the critical value displays super paramagnetism, which could not be applied for the magnetic recording medium. To improve the density of magnetic recording without the restriction of super paramagnetism, it is necessary to prepare the single magnetic domain clusters with limited critical size.
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