Ion beam-induced magnetic patterning at the sub-0.1 μm level

We present a method that allows magnetic patterning of a continuous magnetic film without significant modification of the surface roughness or of the film's optical indices. It involves ion irradiation of Co/Pt multilayers, using either a standard ion implantation technology combined with high resolution masking, or a focussed ion beam. We fabricated arrays of lines or dots whose magnetic properties differ on a sub-100 nm scale. We describe the ion collision physics on which the techniques are based, as well as some of the observed consequences on the consequences on the micro-magnetic properties of the arrays and on the ultimate resolution. Possible applications to high-density information storage are briefly discussed. (authors)