Old silicon learns new tricks

Science Daily  January 6, 2021
Using a combination of standard dry etching and chemical etching an international team of researchers (Japan, China) fabricated arrays of pyramid-shaped silicon nanostructures. An ultrathin layer of iron was deposited onto the silicon to impart unusual magnetic properties. The pyramids’ atomic-level orientation defined the orientation and thus the properties-of the overlaying iron. Epitaxial growth of iron enabled shape anisotropy of the nanofilm. The curve for the magnetization as a function of the magnetic field was rectangular-like shaped but with breaking points which were caused by asymmetric motion of magnetic vortex bound in pyramid apex. They found that the curve had no breaking points in analogous experiments performed on planar iron-coated silicon. The technology will enable fabrication of a circular magnetic array simply by tuning the shape of the substrate. Integration into advanced technologies such as spintronics will considerably accelerate the functionality of 3D electronics…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE 

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