Abstract
In this work, we present a detailed investigation of the magnetic properties of cobalt nanospheres grown on cantilever tips by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID). The cantilevers are extremely soft and the cobalt nanospheres are optimized for magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) experiments, which implies that the cobalt nanospheres must be as small as possible while bearing high saturation magnetization. It was found that the cobalt content and the corresponding saturation magnetization of the nanospheres decrease for nanosphere diameters less than 300 nm. Electron holography measurements show the formation of a magnetic vortex state in remanence, which nicely agrees with magnetic hysteresis loops performed by local magnetometry showing negligible remanent magnetization. As investigated by local magnetometry, optimal behavior for high-resolution MRFM has been found for cobalt nanospheres with a diameter of ≈200 nm, which present atomic cobalt content of ≈83 atom % and saturation magnetization of 106 A/m, around 70% of the bulk value. These results represent the first comprehensive investigation of the magnetic properties of cobalt nanospheres grown by FEBID for application in MRFM.
Highlights
Through the local decomposition of magnetic precursor molecules by the action of an incoming electron beam, a wide range of functional magnetic nanostructures have been produced in last years by the focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) technique [1,2]
Sample growth and characterization In FEBID, the precursor gas molecules are delivered onto the substrate surface by means of a nearby gas-injection system and the focused electron beam is scanned on the surface
We have presented here a comprehensive characterization of the chemical and magnetic properties of cobalt nanospheres grown on the apex of a magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) cantilever by FEBID
Summary
Through the local decomposition of magnetic precursor molecules by the action of an incoming electron beam, a wide range of functional magnetic nanostructures have been produced in last years by the focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) technique [1,2]. These requirements imply the optimization of the FEBID growth in order to obtain cobalt spheres sufficiently small but at the same time having high metal content in order to present high saturation magnetization.
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