Ordered FePdCu nanoisland arrays made by templated solid-state dewetting

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to create ordered FePdCu nanoisland arrays via templated solid-state dewetting, revealing controlled size, position, and magnetic properties influenced by copper content.

Contribution

It introduces a templated dewetting technique for fabricating ordered nanoisland arrays with controlled features and explores the impact of copper on their structural and magnetic properties.

Findings

Ordered nanoisland arrays were successfully fabricated.

Copper admixture affects structural and magnetic characteristics.

Patterning enables control over size and position of nanoislands.

Abstract

Ordered FePdCu nanoisland arrays were formed by annealing at 600oC, which caused solid state dewetting of [Cu/Fe/Pd] multilayers deposited on self-assembled SiO2 nanospheres with size of 100 nm. A single FePdCu island was formed on the top of each SiO2 nanosphere. The structure of the obtained system was studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD), while its magnetic properties by SQUID magnetometry. Partially ordered L10 alloy appeared in the annealed films, leading to magnetic hardening of the material. The paper presents the influence of the patterning on the system properties. It is shown that templated dewetting is a method providing nanoislands with well controlled sizes and positions. The role of copper admixture in controlling the structural and magnetic properties is also discussed.