Broadband Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy for Studying Magneto-electronic Nanostructures

导电原子力显微镜是一种测量纳米级电阻变化的多功能工具。该研究计划的目标是在广泛的频率范围内扩展其能力，以研究磁电子器件。计算机和智能手机包含高速运行的纳米级存储和逻辑器件，并且在更小，更快，更节能的电子产品的竞争中，许多新颖的磁电子器件正在被探索。新的导电力显微镜工具将能够在纳米加工的不同阶段快速测试原型器件，这将有助于优化加工条件并加快开发周期。此外，该技术的相关性将用于磁热疗癌症治疗，其使用100 kHz - 1 MHz范围内的激励，用于磁控加热。 这项研究的成果将与培训研究生和本科生的教育和推广活动有关，并通过本科生研究项目和IEEE磁学协会展示扫描探针显微镜的原理。拟议的研究计划将扩展导电原子力显微镜，以研究自旋电子器件在宽频率范围内的热噪声和磁化动力学，并通过验证它通过对纳米颗粒和纳米盘的测量进行操作。 我们将研究几种磁性奈米结构，以测试高频扫描探针的操作，并在奈米尺度上获得新的知识。 晶体取向的纳米粒子将被图案化光刻的热波动的大小依赖性的调查，导致超顺磁性行为，和孤立的粒子行为应用于图案化的纳米粒子组件与显着的静磁相互作用。 图案化的磁涡旋结构将在其共振频率（100-500 MHz）附近进行研究。 在GHz范围内，重点将放在定向纳米粒子的铁磁共振上。

Conductive atomic force microscopy is a versatile tool for measuring nanoscale variations in the electrical resistance. The goal of this research program is to extend its capabilities over a broad range of frequencies to study magneto-electronic devices. Computers and smart phones contain nanoscale storage and logic devices that operate at high speeds, and in a race for smaller, faster, and more energy efficient electronics, many novel magneto-electronic devices are being explored. The new conductive force microscopy tool will enable rapid testing of prototype devices at different stages of nanofabrication, which will assist in optimizing the processing conditions and speed up the development cycle. In addition, the relevancy of the technique will be for magnetic hyperthermia cancer treatment, which uses excitation in the 100 kHz - 1 MHz range, for magnetically controlled heating. The outcome of this research will be related to educational and outreach activities of training graduate and undergraduate students and by demonstrating the principles of scanning probe microscopy through undergraduate research projects and the IEEE Magnetics Society.The proposed research program will extend conductive atomic force microscopy to investigate thermal noise and magnetization dynamics in a spintronic devices at broad range of frequencies and by validating it operation through measurements on nanoparticles and nanodisks. Several kinds of magnetic nanostructures will be studied in order to test the operation of the high frequency scanning probe, and to gain new knoweldge at the nanosclae level. Crystallographically oriented nanoparticles will be patterned lithographically for investigation of the size-dependence of thermal fluctuations leading to superparamagnetic behavior, and isolated particles behavior applied to patterned nanoparticle assemblies with significant magnetostatic interactions. Patterned magnetic vortex structures will be investigated near their resonant frequencies (100-500 MHz). In the GHz range, the focus will be on ferromagnetic resonance of the oriented nanoparticles.