Paul Scherrer Institut

Gerard Duff

Laura Heyderman

Hans-Benjamin Braun

Elena Mengotti

Rajesh Chopdekar

Danilo Zanin

Remo Huegli

Remo Hügli

A method is provided for achieving specific magnetic states with a given vortex chirality in artificial kagome spin ice building block structures containing one or more hexagonal rings of ferromagnetic islands created with electron beam lithography, where a subgroup of the ferromagnetic islands have a smaller width and therefore higher switching field than the other normal (wider) islands and are placed at specific positions in each of the rings. The positioning of the islands determines the magnetic state of the building block structure during magnetization reversal, and determines the chirality of the magnetic vortices that occur in each ring.

Method of controlling the states and vortex chirality in hexagonal ring structures comprising nanoscale magnetic elements

A method is provided for achieving low energy states for the study of chirality kagome spin ice structures, the method having the steps of providing a silicon substrate; spin coating a polymethyl acrylate resist on said silicon substrate; providing an electron beam writer; exposing said coated substrate to an electron beam from said electron beam writer; positioning more than one thin island ferromagnetic island structure along a honeycomb lattice of said kagome spin ice component, wherein said positioning being along a determined magnetization direction of said lattice and wherein said island structures providing a mechanism in which chirality is controlled.

Method of studying chirality controlled artificial kagome spin ice building blocks

Growing community of inventors

Shannon, Ireland

Gerard Duff