Magnetic properties of two-dimensional arrays of epitaxial Fe (001) submicron particles

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Abstract
The magnetic properties of two-dimensional arrays of Fe particles with well-defined geometry, prepared by electron lithography from epitaxial Fe (001) films of thickness of 50 nm, have been studied. Circular particles with diameters of 0.6 and 0.4 μm and rectangular particles 0.9 μm×0.3 μm and 0.7 μm×0.2 μm, were positioned in square and rectangular lattices, respectively, with lattice constants about twice the particle dimensions. Samples were prepared with the lattices oriented along the 〈100〉 and 〈110〉 directions. Hysteresis curves were obtained in the field range ±2 T at temperatures between 30 and 300 K. The hysteresis curves are characteristic for single particles with a multidomain zero-field state. The magnetization and demagnetization processes are mainly governed by the geometrical shape of the particles and their orientation with respect to the crystal directions and the applied field. This implies that the high quality in the epitaxial Fe films is preserved during the patterning process. Magnetic images, obtained by magnetic force microscopy, support the conclusions drawn from the magnetization measurements. The circular particles showed a fourfold symmetry in their magnetic image, which is compatible with the expected domain structure in a disk with cubic crystalline anisotropy.

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