Position‐Selective Introduction of Ferromagnetism on the Micro‐ and Nanoscale in a Paramagnetic Thin Palladium Film

Abstract

Postsynthetic, position‐selective addition of properties to materials constitutes a paradigm shifting step in materials engineering. The approach enables creation of material systems inaccessible by equilibrium and near‐equilibrium synthesis and can be applied in novel practical applications as well as fundamental physics studies over a range of length and energy scales. Ion implantation is a versatile, scalable, industry‐compatible tool, enabling the next step in this development. Herein, ion implantation is used to design and functionalize a mesoscopic magnetic architecture. A self‐supporting mask is combined with implantation of 60 keV Fe ions to create an embedded array of ≈8 μm‐wide circular ferromagnetic regions in a Pd film. The approach is contactless, free from surface residues, and requires no focusing or scanning of the beam. Magnetic properties of the array are probed with longitudinal magneto‐optic Kerr effect measurement while varying sample temperature and applied magnetic field. Microstructures are visualized with Kerr microscopy and compared to the Fe distribution measured with microbeam proton‐induced X‐Ray emission. Sample topography after implantation is obtained by atomic force microscopy, while ion beam analysis is used to probe concentration depth profiles of implanted Fe, impurities, and to investigate material mixing.