Magnetic nanoparticle array with perpendicular crystal magnetic anisotropy

By using electron beam lithography, a continuous CoCrPt film with a perpendicular crystal magnetic anisotropy has been patterned into a magnetic nanoparticle array of 29 Gdot/in.(2) with a 150 nm period, an 80 nm diameter, and a 44 nm height. Studies of magnetic properties using a magnetic force microscope and a vibrating sample magnetometer show that this patterning increases the remanent-to-saturation magnetization ratio from 0.2 of the continuous film to 1 of the particles, and that each particle has a single magnetic domain with perpendicular anisotropy. The application of this array to future high density magnetic recording media is discussed. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)07112-1].