Investigation of artificial domains realized by local gallium focused ion-beam modification of Pt/Co/Pt trilayer structures

We present the results of experimental investigations of magnetic switching and magnetotransport in a generation of magnetic devices containing artificially patterned domains. Our devices are realized by locally reducing the coercive field of a perpendicularly magnetized Pt(3.5 nm)/Co(0.5 nm)/Pt(1.6 nm) trilayer structure using a gallium focused ion beam. Artificial domain walls are created at the interfaces between dosed and undosed regions when an external magnetic field switches the former but not the latter. We have exploited this property to create stripelike domains with widths down to submicron length scales, separated by undosed regions. Using the extraordinary Hall effect to monitor the local magnetization we have investigated the reversal dynamics of these artificial domains by measuring major and minor hysteresis loops. The coercive field of regions irradiated with identical doses systematically increases as their size decreases. In the lower branch of minor loops, reversal is seen to occur via a few large Barkhausen events. Preliminary measurements of transport across domain walls reveal a positive domain-wall resistance, that does not change sign from 4.2 to 300 K. (C) 2006 American Institute of Physics.