Fabrication and Characterization of Magnetic Films

Summary

This block course takes place at the campus of the Paul Scherrer Institute on the premises of Laboratory for Mesoscopic Systems. The program consists of brief introductory lectures to the fabrication and characterization of thin magnetic films, which are followed by hands-on sessions.

Learning Objectives

The goal of this course is to provide the participants with a full overview of the fabrication and characterization of magnetic films and magnetic devices. The specific objectives are as follows:

Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding and a hands-on experience of the processes involved in fabricating magnetic materials and devices.
Participants will be able to explain the application areas of magnetic films and devices, including their role in fundamental research, data storage, and computation technologies.
Participants will develop skills in evaluating and present the suitability of different fabrication techniques for specific applications of magnetic materials.
Participants will be able to assess and present the potential impact of advancements in magnetic materials and devices on future technological developments in areas such as data storage and computation.

Content

The course takes place at the campus of the Paul Scherrer Institute in the Laboratory for Mesoscopic Systems. The morning consists of introductory lectures on the use of specific fabrication and characterisation techniques, which are listed below. In the afternoon, the participants will carry out hands-on experiments, where they will have a chance to step through the multifaceted chain of magnetic film development. The students will be required to give presentations about the fabrication techniques presented in the course and of the results they obtained with their experiments in relation to future applications.

Day 1: Making metallic and oxide films: sputtering and pulsed laser deposition techniques.
Day 2: Superconducting Quantum Interference Device - Vibrating Sample
Magnetometer (SQUID-VSM) measurements and/x-ray diffractometry (XRD)
Day 3: Optical techniques: NanoMOKE (magneto-optical Kerr effect) magnetometry, Kerr microscopy • Day 4: Magnetic force microscopy (MFM), ferromagnetic resonance (FMR)
Day 5: Complementary methods: synchrotron x-ray imaging (PEEM, STXM, tomography), Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM)