Nanostructure-induced L10-ordering of twinned single-crystals in CoPt ferromagnetic nanowires

L1(0)-ordered ferromagnetic nanowires with large coercivity are essential for realizing next-generation spintronic devices. Ferromagnetic nanowires have been commonly fabricated by first L1(0)-ordering of initially disordered ferromagnetic films by annealing and then etching them into nanowire structures using lithography. If the L1(0)-ordered nanowires can be fabricated using only lithography and subsequent annealing, the etching process can be omitted, which leads to an improvement in the fabrication process for spintronic devices. However, when nanowires are subjected to annealing, they easily transform into droplets, which is well-known as Plateau-Rayleigh instability. Here, we propose a concept of nanostructure-induced L1(0)-ordering of twinned single-crystals in CoPt ferromagnetic nanowires with a 30 nm scale ultrafine linewidth on Si/SiO2 substrates. The driving forces for nanostructure-induced L1(0)-ordering during annealing are atomic surface diffusion and extremely large internal stress at ultrasmall 10 nm scale curvature radii of the nanowires. (Co/Pt)(6) multilayer nanowires are fabricated by a lift-off process combining electron-beam lithography and electron-beam evaporation, followed by annealing. Cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscope images and nano-beam electron diffraction patterns clearly indicate nanostructure-induced L1(0)-ordering of twinned single-crystals in the CoPt ferromagnetic nanowires, which exhibit a large coercivity of 10 kOe for perpendicular, longitudinal, and transversal directions of the nanowires. Two-dimensional grazing incidence X-ray diffraction shows superlattice peaks with Debye-Scherrer ring shapes, which also supports the nanostructure-induced L1(0)-ordering. The fabrication method for nanostructure-induced L1(0)-ordered CoPt ferromagnetic nanowires with twinned single-crystals on Si/SiO2 substrates would be significant for future silicon-technology-compatible spintronic applications.

Automated summary

A concept of nanostructure-induced L1(0)-ordering is proposed to achieve the fabrication of L1(0)-ordered CoPt ferromagnetic nanowires with twinned single-crystals on Si/SiO2 substrates. The driving forces for nanostructure-induced L1(0)-ordering during annealing are atomic surface diffusion and extremely large internal stress at ultrasmall curvature radii of the nanowires.