STTR Phase I: Focused Ion Beam Fabricated Custom Probes for Superior Magnetic Force Microscopy of Recording Media

STTR 第一阶段：聚焦离子束制造的定制探针，用于记录介质的高级磁力显微镜

• 批准号: 0712445
• 负责人: Pablo Gomez
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Nanomond Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-07-01 至 2008-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0712445&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Focused; Ion; Beam

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project is aimed at bringing magnetic force microscopy (MFM) for the data storage and memory applications to the next level of imaging thus turning MFM into a critical tool in the emerging era of nanomagnetic and Spintronics applications. The research will integrate cost-effective focused ion beam (FIB) based fabrication methods with micromagnetic field simulations to develop custom probes with superior properties as compared to conventional MFM probes. The following two goals will be pursued. First, research will be conducted to develop FIB-modified probes with the spatial resolution as small as 5 nm at room temperature. For comparison, today, the feature size resolved with MFM spans from 30 to 60 nm while the resolution of AFM is of the order of 1 nm. Second, a method to improve the quality of the information measured by MFM will be developed. The new ultra-high-resolution MFM will be able to measure not only the strength (as in conventional MFM) but also components of the field along selected directions. Micromagnetic simulations and the principle of Reciprocity will be used to predict FIB-based modifications to MFM probes necessary to satisfy certain custom requirements specific to certain applications.The span of MFM applications is truly diverse, from an accurate analysis of secret information by the FBI to a fundamental study of magnetostatic bacteria. Though all these applications will eventually benefit from this technology, the current emphasis will be placed on the magnetic data storage and memory applications where advancements in MFM could play a pivotal role in the development of next generation systems. Finally, the new ultra-high-resolution MFM could become a critical instrument for future Spintronics related applications. For example, the ability to provide unconventionally high resolution MFM images could shed light on the nanoscale properties of magnetic domains in the recording media and help the development of ultra-high density systems. As for the ability to measure the field orientation, this may become a truly unique imaging feature to characterize longitudinal and perpendicular magnetic storage media in which the stray field orientation represents the signature of each media type: the stray field measured from the bit transitions is predominantly perpendicular to the plane or along the track in longitudinal and perpendicular media, respectively. In summary, the proposed interdisciplinary integration approach may lead to the creation of ultra-high-resolution MFM with unique features critical for future data storage and memory related applications.

小型企业技术转移研究(STTR)第一阶段项目旨在将用于数据存储和存储应用的磁力显微镜(MFM)提升到成像的新水平，从而使MFM成为新兴的纳米磁性和自旋电子学应用时代的关键工具。这项研究将把基于聚焦离子束(FIB)的制造方法与微磁场模拟相结合，以开发与传统MFM探头相比具有更好性能的定制探头。将实现以下两个目标。首先，将研究开发室温下空间分辨率低至5 nm的FIB修饰探针。相比之下，今天用MFM分辨的特征尺寸从30到60 nm，而AFM的分辨率约为1 nm。第二，将开发一种提高MFM测量信息质量的方法。新的超高分辨率MFM将不仅能够测量强度(与传统的MFM一样)，而且能够测量沿选定方向的场的分量。微磁模拟和互惠原理将被用来预测基于FIB的MFM探针的修改，以满足特定应用的特定客户要求。MFM应用的范围确实不同，从FBI对秘密信息的准确分析到对静磁细菌的基础研究。尽管所有这些应用最终都将受益于这项技术，但目前的重点将放在磁性数据存储和存储应用上，在这些应用中，MFM的进步可能会在下一代系统的开发中发挥关键作用。最后，新的超高分辨率MFM可能成为未来自旋电子学相关应用的关键仪器。例如，提供非常规高分辨率MFM图像的能力可以揭示记录介质中磁畴的纳米级属性，并有助于超高密度系统的开发。至于测量场方向的能力，这可能成为表征纵向和垂直磁存储介质的真正独特的成像特征，其中杂散场方向代表每种介质类型的签名：从比特转变测量的杂散场主要垂直于平面或分别沿着纵向和垂直介质中的磁道。总而言之，拟议的跨学科集成方法可能导致创建具有对未来数据存储和存储器相关应用至关重要的独特功能的超高分辨率MFM。