Antiferromagnetic Domain Wall Engineering in Chromium Films

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the engineering of antiferromagnetic domain walls in chromium films by using a patterned iron cap layer to control magnetic frustration, confirmed through x-ray microscopy.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to create and control antiferromagnetic domain walls via lithography and magnetic frustration in chromium films.

Findings

Successful formation of 90° spin-density wave domain walls

Domain walls nucleate at Fe mask boundaries

Method enables precise domain wall engineering

Abstract

We have engineered an antiferromagnetic domain wall by utilizing a magnetic frustration effect of a thin iron cap layer deposited on a chromium film. Through lithography and wet etching we selectively remove areas of the Fe cap layer to form a patterned ferromagnetic mask over the Cr film. Removing the Fe locally removes magnetic frustration in user-defined regions of the Cr film. We present x-ray microdiffraction microscopy results confirming the formation of a 90{\deg} spin-density wave propagation domain wall in Cr. This domain wall nucleates at the boundary defined by our Fe mask.