Magnetic domain pinning in patterned perpendicular magnetic anisotropy material

A method for pinning magnetic domains with prescribed shapes has been developed for the magneto-optical thin film material Dy-x(FeCo)(1-x). The pinning array of holes on the substrate was fabricated using electron beam lithography. The thin film of Dy-x(FeCo)(1-x) sandwiched between SiN layers was deposited onto a patterned polymethyl methacrylate layer. The pinned domains acquire the shape of the holes, while the sharpness of their boundaries depends on the size of the holes. The stability of the pinned domains is affected by the sample's magnetization. In our experiments, the minimum stable domain size pinned within the hole array was found to be around 50 nm in diameter. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.