Thermomagnetically patterned micromagnets

Thermomagnetic patterning (TMP) of 4 mu m thick high performance NdFeB hard magnetic films deposited on Si substrates has been achieved using single pulsed laser irradiation. Uniaxially magnetised chessboard and stripe patterns with lateral feature sizes in the range 50-100 mu m were produced. The depth of reversal was estimated, using both global (vibrating sample magnetometry) and localized (scanning Hall probe) measurements, to be in the range of 1.1-1.2 mu m. A simple model provides semiquantitative agreement with the experimental results. A linear Halbach array was fabricated to demonstrate the potential of TMP for the realization of complex multidirectional microflux sources. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3341190]