Abstract
Patterning nanomagnets in three-dimensions presents a new paradigm in condensed matter physics and allows access to a plethora of phenomena including robust spin textures, magnetic metamaterials home to defects carrying magnetic charge and ultrahigh density devices that store information in three-dimensions. However, the nanostructuring of functional magnetic materials into complex three-dimensional geometries has thus far proven to be a formidable challenge. Here we show magnetic nanowires can be arranged into 3D frustrated magnetic nanowire lattices by using a combination of 3D polymer nanoprinting and metallic deposition. The fabricated nanowires are single domain and they switch via nucleation and propagation of domain walls. Deep nanoscale magnetic imaging and finite element simulations elucidate the spin texture present on the 3D nanostructured lattice. Our study demonstrates a generic platform for the production of 3D nanostructured magnetic materials allowing the realisation of racetrack memory devices and 3D nanostructured systems that mimic bulk frustrated crystals.
Highlights
Patterning nanomagnets in three-dimensions presents a new paradigm in condensed matter physics and allows access to a plethora of phenomena including robust spin textures, magnetic metamaterials home to defects carrying magnetic charge and ultrahigh density devices that store information in three-dimensions
In order to emulate the geometry of spin-ice, magnetic nanowires were arranged in a square lattice with four spins meeting at a vertex
A diamond-bond lattice geometry has been chosen to demonstrate that complex nanowire networks can be created and to capture the geometric arrangement of spins within spin-ice[5]
Summary
Patterning nanomagnets in three-dimensions presents a new paradigm in condensed matter physics and allows access to a plethora of phenomena including robust spin textures, magnetic metamaterials home to defects carrying magnetic charge and ultrahigh density devices that store information in three-dimensions. In 2006, it was shown that arranging magnetic nanowires into frustrated geometries allows much of the physics of spin-ice to be captured[8]. By offsetting one of the sublattices by some height such that the energy of interaction between all nearest neighbours becomes equivalent, a magnetic Coulomb phase has been realised[27] Such layered systems still do not capture the physics of bulk systems. There has been a recent surge in the interest upon 3D nanostructured magnetic materials[28] This has partially been driven by theoretical studies that show 3D nanostructuring of magnetic materials[28] offers a new means to control the arrangement of spins in ordered magnetic materials by harnessing geometry-dependent magnetic energies and those provided by more subtle curvature-driven effects[29]. Applications-driven research remains, with the realisation that 3D nanostructuring of magnetic materials will directly enable new racetrack-type memories[30]
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