Focused-ion-beam milling based nanostencil mask fabrication for spin transfer torque studie.pdfVIP

Focused-ion-beam milling based nanostencil mask fabrication for spin transfer torque studies B. ?zyilmaza, G. Richter, N. Müsgens, M. Fraune, M. Hawraneck, B. Beschotenb, and G. Güntherodt Physikalisches Institut IIA, RWTH Aachen, and Virtual Institute for Spinelectronics (VISel), 52056 Aachen, Germany M. Bückins and J. Mayer Gemeinschaftslabor für Elektronenmikroskopie, RWTH Aachen, 52056 Aachen, Germany Focused-ion-beam milling is used to fabricate nanostencil masks suitable for the fabrication of magnetic nanostructures relevant for spin transfer torque studies. Nanostencil masks are used to define the device dimensions prior to the growth of the thin film stack. They consist of a wet etch resistant top layer and an insulator on top of a pre-patterned bottom electrode. The insulator supports a hard mask and gives rise to an undercut by its selective etching. The approach is demonstrated by fabricating current perpendicular to the plane Co/Cu/Co nanopillar junctions, which exhibit current-induced magnetization dynamics. a Present address: Department of Physics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA b Electronic mail: bernd.beschoten@physik.rwth-aachen.de 1 In recent years focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling has been increasingly used to fabricate magnetic nanostructures. The versatility of resist free FIB patterning allows the fabrication of a wide variety of nanostructures in the sub-100 nm size range1, 2. Most approaches utilize FIB milling as a subtractive method. The desired device structure is cut out of a ferromagnetic thin film thus producing mainly planar devices such as nano- constrictions in a magnetic film or arrays of ferromagnetic nanometer size elements3. A general concern in the usage of FIB is the influence of focused-ion-beam induced change on device performance4. While irradiation effects may be reduced significantly by optimizing the process parameters,