Lauren Riddiford was awarded third prize in the Heidelberg Instruments Application Image Competition 2023-2024

The winning video (see GIF below) was obtained with grayscale direct-write laser annealing using the Heidelberg DWL 66+. This newfound capability, recently developed by Lauren and her collaborators, provides the means to pattern thin films in complex designs without the need for a photoresist. Lauren explains: “We raster the laser over the surface of a magnetic thin film, utilizing the higher laser powers offered by the system developed for 2.5D photolithography. The thermal energy deposited by the laser leads to local changes in the magnetic properties of the film. For example, the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of a CoFeB-Pt magnetic multilayer, which pulls the magnetization from in the film plane to out-of-plane, can be continuously decreased with increasing laser power. At high laser powers, magnetism is destroyed, making it possible to define magnetic wires in a continuous film without removing any material.”

Many congratulations on your success!